Terra10 CERES Results Norman Loeb and the CERES
Terra@10: CERES Results Norman Loeb and the CERES Science Team NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA Terra@10 Reception NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD May 11, 2010 1
Global Energy Budget Trenberth, K. E. , J. T. Fasullo, and J. Kiehl, 2009: Earth's Global Energy Budget. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc. , 90, 311– 323 2
CERES Objectives • Provide continuous long-term Earth Radiation Budget observations at the top-of-atmosphere, withinatmosphere 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. 3
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 4
32 -years of Radiation Measurements • CERES-Terra broadband measurements continue to break new ground every day by extending the longterm broadband radiation record that began with the Nimbus 7 ERB mission in 1978. T. Wong, NASA La. RC 5
CERES Terra Radiative Fluxes Top-of-atmosphere • CERES Terra provides global coverage daily of the distribution of the Earth’s energy flow at top-ofthe-atmosphere, within-atmosphere and surface. 6
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 earth’s climate and climate changes. 7
Cloud-Radiation Variability from CERES & MODIS 8
Terra (10: 30 LT) - Aqua (1: 30 LT) Monthly CERES SW Flux Differences (Dec 2002) CERES/GEO Fluxes CERES-Only Fluxes DT-A 0 -hour DT-A 3 -hour DT-A 6 -hour • Terra fluxes > Aqua fluxes over marine stratus regions (morning clouds) • Aqua fluxes > Terra fluxes over land afternoon convection regions • The merged GEO fluxes have removed the CERES sampling bias of the diurnal cycle. 9
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 10 changes in both diurnal and annual cycles of albedo.
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. 11
Had. CRUT 3 Temperature Anomaly (K) CERES LW TOA Flux Anomaly (Wm-2) CERES Terra Global LW TOA Flux and Global Temperature Anomalies • Interannual variability in the outgoing LW radiation closely tracks variations in global temperature associated with El Nino/La Nina events in the tropics. 12
Summary - The Terra mission continues to provide unprecedented global observations of the Earth’s 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 NASA’s 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! 13
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