ISLSCP II SRB: Global Surface and Top-of-Atmosphere Radiation Budget

114,912 3-hourly files provide global Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) and top-of-atmosphere parameters at a 1-degree spatial resolution. The data, derived from the Pinker and Laszlo (1992) and Gupta et al. (1992) models, uses GEOS-1 reanalysis and ISCCP cloud data. Parameters include monthly, monthly-3 hourly, and 3-hourly averages, with monthly files containing mean, standard deviation, minimum, and maximum values.

Use Cases

• Validating climate model outputs against observed surface and top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes.
• Analyzing diurnal and seasonal cycles of shortwave and longwave radiation from 3-hourly and monthly data.
• Studying cloud radiative effects using derived cloud parameters from ISCCP data.
• Assessing surface albedo variability as derived internally by the Pinker and Laszlo model.

Strengths

• High temporal granularity with 114,912 individual 3-hourly data files.
• Global spatial coverage at a consistent 1-degree x 1-degree grid resolution.
• Includes statistical summaries (mean, standard deviation, min, max) for monthly parameters.

Limitations

• Metadata conflict: last update date is reported as both 2026-04-10 and 1995-12-31, creating uncertainty about data currency.
• Specific column names and data formats are not detailed in the provided metadata.
• License is specified only as 'other-license-specified', requiring further investigation for use.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Data processed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC).

Collection Method

Model-derived using the Pinker and Laszlo (SW) and Gupta et al. (LW) radiation models, with inputs from GEOS-1 reanalysis and ISCCP DX cloud data.

Freshness

2026-04-10 01:55:13.774432

Geography

Global