STAR / SMCD / EMB Radiation Budget

This site provides an overview of the radiation budget research conducted in the Environmental Monitoring Branch (EMB) of the Satellite Meteorology and Climatology Division (SMCD) of STAR, and some of the radiation budget products provided by NOAA/NESDIS.

Radiation Budget Research

Earth constantly receives energy in the form of radiation from the Sun. At the same time it also returns energy to space by reflecting back part of the incoming solar radiation and by emitting thermal radiation. The difference between the energy received and that returned is the earth radiation budget. (Read more ...)

Radiation Budget Products

NOAA/NESDIS estimates solar radiation reflected, as well as the thermal radiation emitted by the Earth's atmosphere and the surface, and solar and thermal radiation reaching the surface of the Earth from the Imager instruments onboard the NOAA polar and geostationary platforms. The products obtained from the polar orbiters are global, while those from the geostationary satellites cover the contiguous US and surrounding oceanic areas. The geostationary produts also serve as the basis for the experimental Solar Resource Data Base product. (Read more ...)