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Terra@10: CERES Results

Norman Loeb and the CERES Science TeamNASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA

Terra@10 ReceptionNASA 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, 311–323

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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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- 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

CERES Description

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32-years of Radiation Measurements

T. Wong, NASA LaRC

• 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.

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CERES Terra Radiative Fluxes

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

Top-of-atmosphere

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CERES & MODIS Synergy

• 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.

MODIS Cloud Amount CERES Net Cloud Radiative Effect

(%) (Wm-2)

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Cloud-Radiation Variability from CERES & MODIS

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Terra (10:30 LT) - Aqua (1:30 LT) Monthly CERES SW Flux Differences (Dec 2002)

• 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.

T-A 6-hour

T-A 0-hour

T-A 3-hour

CERES-Only Fluxes CERES/GEO Fluxes

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Annual Cycle of Albedo for Marine Stratus and Land Convection from 8 Years of CERES Terra

• 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.

Marine Stratus Albedo

Convective Cloud Albedo

J F M A M J J A S O N D

J F M A M J J A S O N D

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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

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

CE

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W T

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(Wm

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adCR

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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!