Terra@10: CERES Results

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Terra_at_10 CERES Results

Norman Loeb and the CERES Science Team NASA
Langley Research Center, Hampton,
VA Terra_at_10 Reception NASA GSFC, Greenbelt,
MD May 11, 2010
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Global Energy Budget

Trenberth, K.E., J.T. Fasullo, and J. Kiehl,
2009 Earth's Global Energy Budget. Bull. Amer.
Meteor. Soc., 90, 311323
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CERES Objectives

• Provide continuous long-term Earth Radiation
  Budget observations at the top-of-atmosphere,
  within-atmosphere and surface together with
  coincident cloud, aerosol and meteorological
  data.
• These data enable improved understanding of the
  natural variability of the climate system and how
  it is responding to climate forcing.

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CERES Description

• - Integrated instrument-algorithm-validation
  science team that provides development of
  higher-level products (Levels 1-3) and
  investigations.
• High level of data fusion 11 instruments on 7
  spacecraft all integrated to obtain climate
  accuracy in top to bottom radiative fluxes.
• Approx. 1.7 million lines of QC and validation
  code, and 0.75 million lines of production code.
• Total of 25 unique input data sources are used to
  produce 18 CERES data products. Over 90 of the
  CERES data product volume involves two or more
  instruments, and individual data products include
  up to 260 unique parameters.
• PRIME USERS Climate modeling community

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32-years of Radiation Measurements

• CERES-Terra broadband measurements continue to
  break new ground every day by extending the long-
  term broadband radiation record that began with
  the Nimbus7 ERB mission in 1978.

T. Wong, NASA LaRC
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CERES Terra Radiative Fluxes
Top-of-atmosphere

• CERES Terra provides global coverage daily of the
  distribution of the Earths energy flow at
  top-of-the-atmosphere, within-atmosphere and
  surface.

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CERES MODIS Synergy
MODIS Cloud Amount
CERES Net Cloud Radiative Effect

()
(Wm-2)

• CERES broadband radiation sensors on Terra
  measure and quantify the effect of clouds on the
  global energy balance.
• Net cloud radiative effect plays an important
  role in understanding the earths climate and
  climate changes.

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Cloud-Radiation Variability from CERES MODIS
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Terra (1030 LT) - Aqua (130 LT) Monthly CERES
SW Flux Differences (Dec 2002)
CERES/GEO Fluxes
CERES-Only Fluxes
Terra fluxes gt Aqua fluxes over marine stratus
regions (morning clouds) Aqua fluxes gt Terra
fluxes over land afternoon convection regions
The merged GEO fluxes have removed the CERES
sampling bias of the diurnal cycle.
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Annual Cycle of Albedo for Marine Stratus and
Land Convection from 8 Years of CERES Terra
Marine Stratus Albedo
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Convective Cloud Albedo
J F M A M J J A S O N D

• Diurnal variations in marine stratus and
  convective clouds have a strong influence on the
  amplitude of the annual cycle of albedo for these
  cloud types.
• Merging CERES Terra with geostationary satellite
  observations captures changes in both diurnal and
  annual cycles of albedo.

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CERES/Terra TOA Radiation Record

• Interannual variability in the global radiation
  budget is closely tied to cloud fluctuations
  associated with El Nino/La Nina events in the
  tropics.

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CERES Terra Global LW TOA Flux and Global
Temperature Anomalies

CERES LW TOA Flux Anomaly (Wm-2)
HadCRUT3 Temperature Anomaly (K)

• Interannual variability in the outgoing LW
  radiation closely tracks variations in global
  temperature associated with El Nino/La Nina
  events in the tropics.

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Summary

• The Terra mission continues to provide
  unprecedented global observations of the Earths
  Radiation Budget and the associated atmospheric
  and surface properties.
• The synergy amongst the Terra instruments provide
  new insights on how the individual components of
  the Earth-Atmosphere system interact and
  influence climate over a range of spatial scales.
• As NASAs Earth Observing System (EOS) flagship
  observatory, Terra has set the bar extremely high
  for future missions, both technologically and
  scientifically.
• Like wine, CERES and Terra get better with age.
  We learn more with each passing year.
• May we continue to fly healthy until the fuel is
  all spent!