GEWEX SRB Rel-4: Global Shortwave Radiation Fluxes, 1983-2017

NASA's GEWEX Surface Radiation Budget Release 4 Integrated Product provides global daily averages of 11 shortwave radiative parameters at the surface and top of the atmosphere. The dataset, derived from satellite observations like ISCCP cloud data and SORCE solar irradiance, covers a 34-year period from July 1983 to June 2017 and includes all-sky, clear-sky, and pristine-sky fluxes. It also contains ancillary data such as surface PAR, cloud fraction, and solar zenith angle.

Use Cases

• Validating climate model simulations of shortwave radiative fluxes based on the 34-year global observational record.
• Analyzing trends in surface solar radiation (global dimming/brightening) using the all-sky and clear-sky downward flux parameters.
• Studying cloud radiative effects by comparing all-sky and pristine-sky top-of-atmosphere upward fluxes.
• Estimating photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) for ecological and agricultural studies using the included surface PAR data.
• Investigating the relationship between cloud fraction and surface radiative fluxes using the co-located parameters.

Strengths

• Covers a long, continuous 34-year temporal range from July 1983 to June 2017.
• Provides a globally complete field derived from multiple authoritative satellite inputs (ISCCP, SORCE).
• Includes multiple flux conditions (all-sky, clear-sky, pristine-sky) enabling isolation of aerosol and cloud effects.

Limitations

• Column names and precise data structure are unspecified across all platform entries.
• A conflicting entry for a longwave ocean-only product suggests potential version or product line confusion.
• The license is listed only as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) World Climate Research Programme/Global Energy and Water-Cycle Experiment (WCRP/GEWEX) Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) Project.

Collection Method

Derived via a shortwave algorithm using inputs from ISCCP (cloud/radiance), SORCE TIM (solar irradiance), and other satellite-based atmospheric products.

Time Range

July 1983 through June 2017

Freshness

2026-04-10 03:11:58.877551

Geography

Global