Sheet: CERES: Understanding The Earth's Clouds and Climate

Fact Sheet
National Aeronautics and

Space Administration
Langley Research Center
Hampton, Virginia 23681-2199 FS-2002-03-71-LaRC
CERES: Understanding the Earth’s

Clouds and Climate
The Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System ERBE used three satellites to provide global energy
(CERES) instrument is one of several scheduled to measurements from 1984 through the 1990s. The
launch aboard the Earth Observing System’s (EOS) TRW Space & Electronics Group in Redondo
Aqua spacecraft in 2002. Scientists will use Beach, Calif., built all six CERES instruments.
observations from the CERES instrument to study
the energy exchanged between the Sun; the Earth’s What CERES Will Measure
atmosphere, surface and clouds; and outer space.
CERES will measure the energy at the top of the
The CERES Aqua instruments will be the fourth and atmosphere, as well as estimate energy levels in the
fifth CERES instruments in orbit. NASA launched atmosphere and at the Earth’s surface. Using
the first CERES instrument aboard the Tropical information from very high resolution cloud imaging
Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite or TRMM in instruments on the same spacecraft, CERES also will
November 1997. Results of the TRMM mission determine cloud properties, including altitude,
show that the first CERES provided better thickness, and the size of the cloud particles. All of
measurement capabilities than any previous satellite these measurements are critical for advancing the
instrument of its kind. Two other CERES understanding of the Earth’s total climate system and
instruments are currently orbiting the Earth on the the accuracy of climate prediction models.
EOS Terra spacecraft, launched in late 1999. Early
CERES Terra results give new insights into the
effects of clouds on climate and how the climate
system changes from decade to decade. Two CERES
instruments on each of the Terra and Aqua spacecraft
will provide global coverage of energy radiated and
reflected from the Earth. Scientists will use
measurements from both satellites’ orbits to improve
observations of the daily cycle of radiated energy.
NASA Langley Research Center manages the

CERES mission. Langley’s highly successful Earth
Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) provided the
foundation for the design of the CERES instrument. CERES detects low (blue and white) to high
(yellow) amounts of emitted heat.
Balancing the Earth’s Energy Cloud Effects
Budget
One of the most intriguing questions facing climate
The balance between Earth’s incoming and outgoing modelers today is how clouds affect the Earth’s
energy controls daily weather and climate (long- climate and vice versa. The U.S. Global Change
term weather patterns). Sunlight or solar energy is Research Program classifies understanding the role
the planet’s only incoming energy source. Heat of clouds and the Earth’s energy budget as one of its
emitted from and sunlight reflected by the Earth’s highest scientific priorities. Understanding cloud
surface, atmosphere and clouds make up the planet’s effects requires a detailed knowledge of how clouds
outgoing energy. Scientists have been working for absorb and reflect sunlight, as well as how they
decades to understand this critical energy balance, absorb and re-emit outgoing heat emitted by the
called the Earth’s “energy budget.” planet. For example, low, thick clouds primarily
reflect incoming solar energy back to space causing
cooling. Thin, high clouds, however, primarily trap
Earth Emitted outgoing heat and produce warming. To date,
Energy
satellite studies have found that clouds have an
Incoming overall cooling effect on the Earth.
Solar
Energy
Analyses of satellite data also indicate that clouds

which form over water are very different from
clouds which form over land. These differences
affect the way clouds reflect sunlight back into
Reflected
Solar
space and how much heat emitted from the Earth the
Energy
clouds absorb and re-emit. For example, over the
equator in the eastern Pacific Ocean during El Niño
Earth’s radiation budget is the balance between
events, there is a significant decrease in the amount
incoming and outgoing energy.
of energy emitted by the Earth due to increased
The energy received from the Sun is at short cloudiness. El Niño events occur when portions of
wavelengths, while the energy emitted by the the eastern Pacific Ocean become considerably
surface of the Earth, the atmosphere and clouds is at warmer than normal, causing an increase in
long wavelengths. Greenhouse gases in the cloudiness over the region. These changes can affect
atmosphere absorb the long wavelength energy or weather patterns around the world.
heat emitted by the Earth. Increases in the amounts
Cloud Effects On Earth's Radiation
of greenhouse gases produced by both natural Incoming solar
processes or human activities can lead to a warming -2

shortwave
radiation
of the Earth’s surface. Such changes may, in turn, High

clouds
Reflected
alter the planet’s daily weather and climate. solar
radiation
Incoming
solar Outgoing
shortwave longwave
Clouds and small particles in the atmosphere called radiation Reflected
solar
radiation
radiation
aerosols also reflect some sunlight back into space. Low
clouds
Major sources of aerosols include windblown dust, Outgoing

longwave
emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, such as radiation
gasoline, and the burning of forests and agricultural Earth's surface
fields.
Water Vapor Effects an innovative Web site (http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/
sse/). The Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy
Water vapor in the atmosphere also impacts our daily Project maintains the site. In the first three years of
weather and climate, though scientists are only operation, the number of registered users of the Web
beginning to understand how this complex site, including major energy companies, financial
mechanism works. Water vapor acts like a institutions and federal agencies, has grown to over
greenhouse gas and absorbs outgoing heat to warm 2,000 from nearly 100 countries. With 35,000 hits per
the Earth. Because water vapor also condenses to month since January 2001, SSE is the most accessed
make clouds, additional water vapor in the Web site at the ASDC.
atmosphere also may increase the amount of clouds.
For more CERES information, please contact:
Future Missions
NASA Langley Research Center
One additional CERES instrument is available to fill Public Affairs Office
the gap between Aqua and the next generation of Mail Stop 115
highly accurate Earth radiation budget Hampton, VA 23681-2199
measurements. These observations are expected to 757-864-6121
be made on the National Polar-orbiting Operational www.larc.nasa.gov
Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) starting
around 2010. To continue the 22-year record of Also, see the CERES Home Page:
global energy measurements, the next CERES http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/ceres/ASDceres.html
mission should launch in 2007.
Or
Educational Outreach
NASA Langley’s Atmospheric Sciences Home Page:
As a CERES instrument passes overhead, students http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/ASDhomepage.html
worldwide are observing clouds and then sending
their observations to NASA Langley’s Atmospheric
Sciences Data Center (ASDC). At the ASDC,
scientists store data for further analysis by the
CERES science team. The student observations are
part of a global educational outreach program called
the Students’ Cloud Observations On-Line
(S’COOL) project. Since the project began five years
ago, S’COOL has reached over 1,000 schools in all
50 states and 57 other countries on five continents.
Commercial Applications
CERES supports commercial applications by

providing data about weather and sunlight at the
Earth’s surface for the renewable energy industry via

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Fact Sheet

National Aeronautics and

CERES: Understanding the Earth’s

NASA Langley Research Center manages the

Analyses of satellite data also indicate that clouds

processes or human activities can lead to a warming -2

of the Earth’s surface. Such changes may, in turn, High

Major sources of aerosols include windblown dust, Outgoing

emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, such as radiation

gasoline, and the burning of forests and agricultural Earth's surface

CERES supports commercial applications by

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