ERBE

ERBE
NASA · Public domain · source
Name	ERBE
Operator	NASA
Mission type	Earth observation
Launched	1984 (first mission)
Mass	~100 kg (per instrument package)
Instruments	Radiometers, cavity radiometers
Spacecraft	Nimbus-?; dedicated satellites and Shuttle flights
Orbit	Low Earth orbit; Sun-synchronous (some platforms)

ERBE

ERBE was a satellite and Shuttle-based program developed to measure Earth's radiation budget using broadband radiometry. It provided calibrated observations of incoming solar irradiance and outgoing reflected solar and emitted thermal radiation, enabling quantitative studies of radiative forcing associated with natural variability and anthropogenic change. The project linked instrument development, mission operations, and climate analysis undertaken by NASA together with contributions from institutions such as Langley Research Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, and international partners including NOAA and the European Space Agency.

Overview

ERBE operated within the context of 1980s and 1990s Earth science programs, complementing efforts like Nimbus 7, Solar Maximum Mission, TOPEX/Poseidon, and later missions such as CERES. The program aimed to quantify the planetary energy budget by measuring shortwave and longwave fluxes across multiple viewing geometries, supporting investigations into phenomena documented by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, studies of El Niño–Southern Oscillation, and analyses of volcanic forcing after events like Mount Pinatubo eruption. ERBE’s approach combined spaceborne instruments flown on polar-orbiting platforms and Shuttle sorties, interfacing with modeling groups at GISS, NCAR, and university centers including Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory.

Instruments and Payload

The payload suite comprised broadband radiometers, nonscanning and scanning cavity radiometers, and supportive electronics derived from sensor technologies used on missions such as Nimbus 6 and experimental packages flown on Space Shuttle Challenger and Space Shuttle Columbia. Instruments measured reflected shortwave (solar) radiation and emitted longwave (thermal) radiation using bolometric detectors and cavity designs refined at Langley Research Center. The scanning instrument incorporated mechanical actuators and calibration cavities traceable to standards maintained at institutions like National Institute of Standards and Technology and cross-calibrated against sensors from NOAA satellites. Onboard systems interfaced with platforms including the ERBS satellite and Shuttle flight manifests coordinated by Kennedy Space Center and mission control at Johnson Space Center.

Mission History and Operations

Initiated in the late 1970s, ERBE flights began in the early 1980s with instrument deployments on several low Earth orbit platforms and Shuttle missions that included instrument retrieval and recalibration activities. Operations involved overpasses coordinated with ground networks such as the Basel Radiative Transfer Facility and shipborne campaigns tied to expeditions by institutions like Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Data acquisition periods encompassed pre- and post-major climate perturbations, enabling temporal comparisons across campaigns led by agencies including NOAA and research consortia at University of Maryland and UCAR. Mission operations utilized telemetry systems and orbit determination support from GPS and tracking networks operated by United States Air Force ranges. ERBE teams conducted routine calibrations, degradation assessments, and cross-platform comparisons with contemporaneous datasets from Nimbus 7 and later with CERES.

Data Products and Processing

ERBE produced top-of-atmosphere flux products, angular distribution models, and broadband albedo maps delivered to climate modelers at GISS, Hadley Centre, and research laboratories such as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Processing pipelines converted radiance measurements to fluxes using scene-dependent angular corrections developed by groups at University of Wisconsin–Madison and radiative transfer parameterizations cross-checked against line-by-line models from NIC. Data release formats were tailored for assimilation into general circulation models used at NCAR and for trend analysis by teams associated with IPCC assessments. Quality control involved intercomparison with radiosonde archives from World Meteorological Organization stations and ocean buoy networks like TAO/TRITON, with uncertainty analyses documented in peer-reviewed literature published in journals where researchers from MIT, Princeton University, and Caltech contributed.

Scientific Findings and Impact

ERBE established quantitative baselines for planetary albedo, shortwave imbalance, and outgoing longwave radiation, clarifying the role of clouds and aerosols in Earth’s radiative budget. Analyses informed attribution studies involving greenhouse gases monitored by NOAA and stratospheric aerosol loading following eruptions such as Mount Pinatubo. Work using ERBE data influenced climate sensitivity estimates employed at GISS and constrained cloud feedbacks explored in model intercomparison projects coordinated by WCRP and CMIP precursor efforts. The program’s results were cited in IPCC reports and shaped policy-relevant assessments by institutions including National Academy of Sciences and international panels examining radiative forcing mechanisms related to Kyoto Protocol era negotiations.

Successors and Legacy

ERBE’s legacy includes methodological advances adopted by successor instruments and missions, notably CERES on the Terra, Aqua, and Suomi NPP platforms, and calibration practices institutionalized at NASA/GSFC. The angular distribution models and broadband calibration approaches influenced satellite climatology standards at NOAA and fostered long-term climate data records integrated into reanalysis projects at ECMWF and NCEP. Many researchers and engineers who worked on ERBE went on to lead programs at NASA, academia, and international agencies, ensuring the program’s impact on observational climatology, satellite instrument design, and Earth system modeling persists in contemporary climate science.

Category:Earth observation satellites