Abstract
Recent work has reported that calibration quality of existing space-based Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) measurements is insufficient to detect important model predicted cloud climate forcing trends in the near future, given the low estimated sizes of the signals of interest. Additional statistical results from the same studies show that no mission, even those using improved concepts currently in development, will provide the data accuracy required to detect such predicted but uncertain climate signals for at least twenty years. Hence a new project called the Moon and Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (MERBE) is underway. Primary to MERBE, multiple orbiting ERB devices on Terra, Aqua & NPP have each been precisely re-calibrated in-flight to consistently measure an SI traceable lunar solar albedo and thermal emissivity. Such traceability limits instrument dependent biases and spurious drifts in on board calibration for both future and past data, already spanning back decades. Being an attempt to substantially increase climate data accuracy, a re-examination of all aspects of ERB satellite device calibration was also warranted. Significant improvements in instantaneous accuracy and radiance inversion will hence also be demonstrated for all MERBE results when compared to existing measurements.
The Moon & Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (MERBE)
Recent work has reported that calibration quality of existing space-based Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) measurements is insufficient to detect important model predicted cloud climate forcing trends in the near future, given the low estimated sizes of the signals of interest. Additional statistical results from the same studies show that no mission, even those using improved concepts currently in development, will provide the data accuracy required to detect such predicted but uncertain climate signals for at least twenty years. Hence a new project called the Moon and Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (MERBE) is underway. Primary to MERBE, multiple orbiting ERB devices on Terra, Aqua & NPP have each been precisely re-calibrated in-flight to consistently measure an SI traceable lunar solar albedo and thermal emissivity. Such traceability limits instrument dependent biases and spurious drifts in on board calibration for both future and past data, already spanning back decades. Being an attempt to substantially increase climate data accuracy, a re-examination of all aspects of ERB satellite device calibration was also warranted. Significant improvements in instantaneous accuracy and radiance inversion will hence also be demonstrated for all MERBE results when compared to existing measurements.