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ERBE: Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE)

1980s

Since the early parts of the twentieth century, meteorologists have recognized that the radiation budget of the Earth is the energy source for the atmospheric phenomena that we encounter in our daily lives. Accurate determination of this budget has been the goal of the scientific effort that began with the first satellites. The Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) was the first multi-satellite mission in which nearly identical instruments were carried in orbits of different inclination. Research focused on two broad topics: the role of clouds and the surface in modifying the radiative balance; and the spatial and temporal variability of the earth’s radiation budget. As a result knowledge of the radiation budget improved considerably, particularly in the area of temporal variations.

From Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE): ERBE users guide and science reference manual, revision 1

CIMSS scientists examined ERBE data for consistency, comparison with coincident GOES visible and infrared imagery, and checked for cloud and clear sky correspondence. Efforts to detect scanner noise and to efforts to resolve discontinuities. Long wave scanner radiative flux at the top of the atmosphere from ERBS was compared to VAS multi-spectral data. Comparison of scanner and non-scanner data for consistency and accuracy was developed as part of a graduate student research project.

From: Science support for the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE), final report. Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC), University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1987. UW SSEC Publication No.87.05.S1.

Investigators

Related Websites

Publications

  • Ackerman, Steven A. and Inoue, Toshiro. Radiation energy budget studies using collocated AVHRR and ERBE observations. Journal of Applied Meteorology v.33, no.3, 1994, pp370-378. Reprint #1425.

  • Ackerman, Steven A. and Wylie, Donald P. ERBE and HIRS/2 coincident observations of the radiative properties of cirrus clouds. Conference on Atmospheric Radiation, 7th, San Francisco, CA, 23-27 July 1990 (preprints). Boston, MA, American Meteorological Society, 1990, pp141-142. Reprint #1190.

  • Ackerman, Steven A. ERBE annual report for NASA grant NAGW-3935: Radiative energy budget studies using observations from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE). Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC), Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS), 1996. UW SSEC Publication No.96.03.A2.

  • Ackerman, Steven A., Frey, R., Shie, M., Olson, R., Collimore, C., and Friedman, M. Radiative energy budget studies using observations from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE). Final report for NASA grant NAGW-3935. Madison, WI, [University of Wisconsin-Madison, Space Science and Engineering Center, Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS)], [1998]. 51p. UW SSEC Publication No.98.03.A1.

  • Ackerman, Steven A.; Chung, Hyosang; Cox, Stephen K.; Herman, Leroy; Smith, William L., and Wylie, Donald P. Comparison of NOAA-9 ERBE measurements with Cirrus IFO satellite and aircraft measurements. FIRE Science Results 1988, Vail, CO, 11-15 July 1988. Hampton, VA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Office of Management, Scientific and Technical Information Division, 1990, pp117-121. Reprint #1731.

  • Ackerman, Steven A.; Frey, Richard A., and Smith, William L. Radiation budget studies using collocated observations from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, High-Resolution Infrared Sounder/2, and Earth Radiation Budget Experiment instruments. Journal of Geophysical Research v.97, no.D11, 1992, pp11,513-11,525. Reprint #1385.

  • Ackerman, Steven A.; Frey, Richard, and Smith, William L. Radiative properties of the Earth-atmosphere system from combined AVHRR, HIRS/2 and ERBE observations. Conference on Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography, 6th, Atlanta, GA, 5-10 January 1992 (preprints). Boston, MA, American Meteorological Society, 1992, pp73-74. Reprint #1257.

  • Ackerman, Steven A.; Wylie, Donald P.; Frey, Richard; Hayden, Christopher M.; Smith, William L., and Menzel, W. Paul. Remote sensing cloud properties from combined AVHRR HIRS/2 and ERBE observations. Symposium on Meteorological Observations and Instrumentation, 7th, Special Sessions on Laser Atmospheric Studies, New Orleans, LA, 14-18 January 1991 (preprints). Boston, MA, American Meteorological Society, 1991, pp431-433. Reprint # 1195.

  • Baum, Bryan A.; Minnis, Patrick, and Green, Richard N. CERES Pathfinder cloud retrieval and radiation budget products derived from merged AVHRR, HIRS/2, and ERBE data. Conference on Atmospheric Radiation, 9th, Long Beach, CA, 2-7 February 1997 (preprints). Boston, MA, American Meteorological Society, 1997, pp441-442. Reprint #4713.

  • Chang, F. L.; Li, Z., and Ackerman, S. A. Relationship between TOA albedo and cloud optical depth as deduced from models and collocated AVHRR and ERBE satellite observations. Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Science Team Meeting, 8th, Tucson, AZ, 23-27 March 1998. Proceedings. Washington, DC, US Department of Energy, Office of Energy Research, Office of Health and Environmental Research, Environmental Sciences Division, 1998, pp127-131. Reprint #2555.

  • Charlock, Thomas P.; Rose, Fred G.; Rutan, David ; Coleman, Lisa H.; Baum, Bryan A., and Green, Richard N. The total-sky, global atmospheric radiation budget from radiative transfer calculations using ERBE, AVHRR, and sounding data. Conference on Atmospheric Radiation, 9th, Long Beach, CA, 2-7 February 1997 (preprints). Boston, MA, American Meteorological Society, 1997, pp60-63. Reprint #4710.

  • Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE): ERBE users guide and science reference manual, revision 1. Hampton, VA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Langley Research Center, 1981. Various paging. ERBE 3-2-1-0-81-04-01. NAS 1.112:81-04.

  • ERBE Science Team; Barkstrom, B. R.; Harrison, E. F.; Smith, G. L.; Green, R.; Kibler, J.; Cess, R. D.; Coakley, J. A. Jr.; Fouquart, Y.; Gruber, A.; Hartmann, D. L.; House, F. B.; Kandle, R. S.; King, M. D.; Mecherikunnel, A. T.; Miller, A. J.; Ramanathan, V.; Raschke, E.; Smith, W. L., and Vonder Haar, T. H. Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) archival and April 1985 results. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society v.70, no.10, 1989, pp1254-1262. Reprint #5610.

  • Green, Richard N.; House, Frederick B.; Stackhouse, Paul W.; Wu, Xiangqian; Ackerman, Steven A.; Smith, William L., and Johnson, Margaret J. Intercomparison of scanner and nonscanner measurements for the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment. Journal of Geophysical Research v.95, no.D8, 1990, pp11785-11798. Reprint #1743.

  • Inoue, Toshiro and Ackerman, Steve A. Radiative effects of various cloud types as classified by the split window technique over the eastern sub-tropical Pacific derived from colloctated ERBE and AVHRR data. Journal of the Meteorological Society of Japan v.80, no.6, 2002, pp1383-1394. Reprint #3317.

  • Jacobowitz, H.; Smith, W. L., and Drummond, A. J. Satellite measurements of aerosol backscattered radiation from the Nimbus F Earth Radiation Budget Experiment. Washington, DC, US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Environmental Satellite Service (NESS), 1972. 9p. NOAA Technical Report NESS 60. C 55.13:NESS 60.

  • Smith, W. L.; Hickey, J.; Howell, H. B.; Jocobowitz, H.; Hilleary, D. T., and Drummond, A. J. Nimbus-6 earth radiation budget experiment. Applied Optics v.16, no.2, 1977, pp306-318. Reprint #609.

  • Smith, William L. and Herman, Leroy D. Achtor Thomas H. Science support for the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE). Final report for NASA Contract NAS1-16507. Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Studies (CIMSS:), 1987. 50p., appendixes. UW SSEC Publication No.87.05.S1.

  • Smith, William L., Ackerman, Steven A., Chung, Haung, Collimore, Chris, Frey, Richard A., Herman, Leroy, Nagel, Fred, Revercomb, Hank, Woolf, Hal, Wu, Fred, and Zaras, Daphne. Final report of NASA contract NAS1-18272 ERBE scientific investigations. Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Space Science and Engineering Center, Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS), 1993. unpaged. UW SSEC Publication No.93.12.S1.

  • Wu, Xiangqian and Smith, William L. Assimilation of ERBE data with a nonlinear programming technique to improve cloud-cover diagnosis. Monthly Weather Review v.120, no.9, 1992, pp2009-2024. Reprint #1303.

  • Wu, Xiangqian. Assimilation of ERBE data with nonlinear programming technique to improve fractional cloud cover diagnosis. Mesoscale Data Assimilation: Notes from an NCAR Summer Colloquium, Boulder, CO, 6 June-3 July 1990. Boulder, CO, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Advanced Study Program, 1990, pp641-642. Reprint #2283.

Images

  • A representative sample of ERBS scanner measurements shows a surface map of the Earth’s surface with the regional time and space averaged longwave fluxes for the ERBS for April 1985.

    Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC), University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • ERBE scanner illustration with parts labeled

    NASA

  • ERBE scanner, artist’s drawing

    NASA

  • Earth’s Energy Budget, diagram

    NASA

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