Earth Radiation Budget Experiment

Earth Radiation Budget Experiment
NASA · Public domain · source
Name	Earth Radiation Budget Experiment
Names list	ERBE
Mission type	Earth science
Operator	National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Department of Energy
Launch dates	1984–1985
Spacecraft	ERS-1; NOAA-9; NOAA-10
Manufacturer	Hughes Aircraft Company; Langley Research Center
Launch vehicles	Delta (rocket family); Titan II
Orbit	Low Earth orbit

Earth Radiation Budget Experiment

The Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) was a multi-satellite program designed to measure the balance between incoming solar radiation and outgoing terrestrial radiation, providing fundamental observations for climate research. Funded and managed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration and supported by the Department of Energy, ERBE produced global datasets that informed studies by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, National Centers for Environmental Prediction, and climate model development at institutions such as NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and NOAA research centers.

Overview

ERBE consisted of a suite of instruments flown on multiple platforms including NOAA-9, NOAA-10, and the ERS-1-era missions, delivering measurements of reflected shortwave and emitted longwave radiation. The experiment aimed to quantify radiative forcing relevant to greenhouse effect studies and to validate radiative transfer schemes used in General circulation models developed at Hadley Centre and Goddard Institute for Space Studies. ERBE data were crucial for comparisons with satellite missions like Nimbus 7 and successors such as CERES.

Mission and Instruments

ERBE deployed five scanning and non-scanning radiometers designed by groups at Langley Research Center and contractors including Hughes Aircraft Company. The key sensors included wide-field non-imaging radiometers for Earth radiation budget monitoring and medium-field scanning radiometers for angular distribution sampling; these complemented instruments on NOAA satellites and research platforms like ER-2. Instrument calibration involved teams from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and validation campaigns coordinated with National Center for Atmospheric Research and field programs such as TOGA and ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement) sites. The payloads measured reflected solar shortwave fluxes and emitted longwave fluxes across spectral bands tailored to sample radiative transfer processes involving water vapor and cloud radiative forcing.

Data Products and Methods

ERBE produced top-of-atmosphere fluxes, scene-dependent angular distribution models, and monthly gridded radiation budget datasets used by agencies including NOAA and DOE. Processing pipelines relied on angular distribution models derived from ERBE scanning radiometers, scene classification schemes cross-referenced with imagery from Landsat and cloud datasets from International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project. Methods included radiometric calibration, temporal averaging, and spatial gridding to 1° and 2.5° arrays compatible with NCEP and ECMWF assimilation frameworks. Validation and intercomparison studies involved teams from University of Maryland, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory.

Scientific Findings

ERBE provided the first global, multi-year quantification of Earth's radiation budget that supported analyses of El Niño–Southern Oscillation impacts on radiative fluxes, documented the role of cloud feedback in tropical energy transport, and constrained estimates of planetary albedo. Results informed debates addressed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about radiative forcing from aerosols and greenhouse gass, and helped diagnose biases in General circulation models developed at Hadley Centre and GISS. ERBE datasets were used in influential studies by researchers at University of Washington, California Institute of Technology, and Columbia University on topics including diurnal radiation cycles, radiative effects of stratospheric aerosols from volcanic eruptions like Mount Pinatubo, and long-term trends in net radiation.

Legacy and Successor Missions

ERBE established observational standards that guided the design and calibration of successor missions such as Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) and influenced instrument suites on EOS platforms including Terra (satellite) and Aqua (satellite). The ERBE archive remains a referenced benchmark in intercomparison projects coordinated by World Climate Research Programme and reanalysis efforts at ECMWF and NOAA NCEI. ERBE-trained instrument teams and data centers seeded expertise found in programs at NASA Langley Research Center and in multinational initiatives like Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX).

Operational History and Timeline

ERBE began operations with launches in 1984–1985, delivering continuous records through the late 1980s and early 1990s before transition to CERES-era observations. Key operational milestones include the initial sensor calibrations by teams from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Goddard, validation campaigns coordinated with National Center for Atmospheric Research, and dataset releases to the climate community via centers such as NASA DAAC and NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. ERBE’s operational legacy includes methodologies adopted by International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project and follow-on calibration campaigns involving the International Space Station and polar-orbiting platforms.

Category:Satellite meteorology Category:Earth observation satellites