Total Solar Irradiance Daily Means from SORCE TIM Instrument

SOR3TSID Version 019 contains total solar irradiance (TSI) data, also known as the solar constant, measured by the SORCE satellite's Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) instrument. The data provides daily averages of the full-wavelength spectrum sunlight incident on Earth's atmosphere, normalized to one astronomical unit. This is the final version of the product, superseding all previous releases.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term solar variability and its impact on climate models using daily TSI values.
• Validating the precision of space-based radiometers against the instrument's specified 10 ppm per year accuracy.
• Studying Sun-Earth interactions by examining changes in the total energy output from the Sun.
• Calibrating other solar observation datasets against this high-accuracy TIM instrument record.

Strengths

• Data is from a high-precision instrument designed for an absolute accuracy of 100 parts per million (ppm).
• The product offers long-term relative accuracy of 10 ppm per year, suitable for trend analysis.
• Version 019 is the definitive final release, integrating the full mission's science results.

Limitations

• The dataset's specific temporal coverage and row count are not provided in the available metadata.
• There is a conflict in reported freshness, with one platform showing a last update in 2026 and another in 2020, indicating potential staleness or a metadata error.

Provenance

Source

Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) instrument on the SORCE satellite.

Collection Method

Measurements taken by an ambient temperature active cavity radiometer, averaged to daily intervals.

Time Range

Covers the full SORCE mission lifetime, but specific start and end dates are not provided.

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:19:52.988041

Geography

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