The Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) is a key component of the Earth Observing System (EOS) program. CERES provides radiometric measurements of the Earth's atmosphere from three broadband channels. The two CERES instruments on Terra are improved models of the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) scanner instruments, which operated from 1984 through 1990 on NASA's Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) and on NOAA's operational weather satellites NOAA-9 and NOAA-10.

The first CERES instrument was launched from Tanegashima, Japan, on November 27, 1997, as part of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). Two CERES instruments were launched into polar orbit on board the EOS flagship Terra on December 18, 1999, and other CERES instruments are scheduled for launch on EOS Aqua (PM-1).

CERES provides accurate cloud and radiation flux measurements that are fundamental inputs to models of oceanic and atmospheric energetics, and will also contribute to extended range weather forecasting. CERES products include both solar-reflected and Earth-emitted radiation from the top of the atmosphere to the Earth's surface. CERES provides, for the first time, a critical tie between the measurements of the radiation budget and synchronous measurement of cloud properties.

Information about the CERES instrument data provided on this CD-ROM.

CERES Data Web Sites

CERES Homepage: http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/ceres/ASDceres.html

About CERES: http://terra.nasa.gov/About/CERES/about_ceres.html

CERES Mission Page: http://eosdatainfo.gsfc.nasa.gov/eosdata/terra/ceres/ceres.html

The Atmospheric Sciences Data Center at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC): http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/

Top of page