The CERES Surface CRE Net Total Flux layer shows Energy Balanced and Filled (EBAF) Monthly Mean Flux (w/m²), for the total broadband wavelength channel at the earth’s surface corresponding to Cloud Radiative Effects (CRE). CRE, also referred to as cloud forcing, is defined for surface measurements as the difference between all-sky and clear-sky pixels. Net flux is the sum of the incoming and outgoing radiative fluxes at the surface, corresponding to the specified spectral band.

The CERES Energy Balanced and Filled (EBAF) layers are derived from CERES SYN1Deg products, and provide monthly mean radiative fluxes corresponding to collection either at the Earth’s surface (EBAF-Surface) or top-of-the-atmosphere (EBAF-TOA). EBAF-products were designed for climate model evaluation, estimating the Earth's global mean energy budget, and to infer meridional heat transport. For some climate modelers, the products address the need for a net imbalance constrained to the ocean heat storage term.

The Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments are a collection of instruments carried on different satellites, the first launched in 1999 (Terra) as a follow-on to the successful Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) mission, and as a flagship component of the Earth Observing System (EOS) program. The second satellite (Aqua) was launched in 2002. There are two identical CERES instruments aboard both the Terra and Aqua satellites, that measure the Earth's total radiation budget and provide cloud property estimates that enable scientists to assess clouds' roles in radiative fluxes from the surface to the top of the atmosphere. One of the instruments operates in a cross-track scan mode and the other in a biaxial scan mode. The cross-track mode data is what is used to align the CERES measurements with ERBE and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), essentially extending the data record.

The CERES Surface CRE Net Total Flux layer is available from the CERES instruments on the Terra satellite. The sensor resolution is 1 degree, imagery resolution is 2 km, and the temporal resolution is monthly.

Data parameter: sfc_cre_net_tot_mon
Data product: CERES_EBAF-Sfc_Edition4.0