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The radiation budget represents the balance between incoming energy from the Sun and outgoing thermal (longwave) and reflected (shortwave) energy from the Earth. In the 1970's, NASA recognized the importance of improving our understanding of the radiation budget and its effects on the Earth's climate. 

Langley Research Center was charged with developing a new generation of instrumentation to make accurate regional and global measurements of the components of the radiation budget. Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) measurements were collected from three satellites (ERBS, NOAA-9, NOAA-10) carrying two ERBE instrument packages (Scanner and Nonscanner). The objective was to measure global albedo, fluxes, and solar incidence.

Overview

The Goddard Space Flight Center built the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) on which the first ERBE instruments were launched by the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984. ERBE instruments were also launched on two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather monitoring satellites, NOAA 9 and NOAA 10 in 1984 and 1986. 

ERBE measurements were collected from three satellites (ERBS, NOAA-9, NOAA-10) carrying two ERBE instrument packages (Scanner and Nonscanner). The ERBE instruments on board the NOAA-9 and NOAA-10 satellites provided global spatial coverage, while the scanner instruments on board the ERBS provided coverage between 67.5 degrees north and south latitude and the nonscanner instruments on board the ERBS provided coverage between 60 degrees north and south latitude. Because ERBS was in a precessing (57-degree) orbit, the ERBE instruments on board this satellite provided diurnal sampling.

The ERBE Scanning Detectors

  • Total wavelength thermistor bolometer
  • Long wavelength thermistor bolometer
  • Short wavelength thermistor bolometer

The total detector measures radiation in the 0.2 – 50.0 micron wavelength band, the longwave detector measures radiation in the 5.0 -50.0 micron wavelength band, and the shortwave detector measures radiation in the 0.2 – 5.0 micron band.

Instrument Type

Spectrometers/Radiometers

Instrument Subtype

Radiometers

Specifications

Resolution

Spatial

Varies

Spectral
  • 0.2 – 50.0 micron
  • 5.0 -50.0 micron 
  • 0.2 – 5.0 micron

Frequently Asked Questions

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