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Spotlight on Science
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Steve Ackerman, Director of the NOAA Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discusses using research satellites to identify aviation hazards as a prelude to operational products.

'First Light' Taken by NPP's CERES Instrument

NPP - CERES- Thick cloud cover imagery

Thick cloud cover tends to reflect a large amount of incoming solar energy back to space (blue/green/white image), but at the same time, reduce the amount of outgoing heat lost to space (red/blue/orange image). Contrast the areas that do not have cloud cover (darker colored regions) to get a sense for how much impact the clouds have on incoming and outgoing energy. Credit: NASA/NOAA/CERES Team
[click image to enlarge]

February 2, 2012

The newest version of the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instrument, flying on the Suomi NPP satellite, is sending back images for the first time.

NPP - Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES)

In the longwave image, heat energy radiated from Earth (in watts per square meter) is shown in shades of yellow, red, blue and white. The brightest-yellow areas are the hottest and are emitting the most energy out to space, while the dark blue areas and the bright white clouds are much colder, emitting the least energy. Increasing temperature, decreasing water vapor, and decreasing clouds will all tend to increase the ability of Earth to shed heat out to space. Credit: NASA/NOAA/CERES Team
[click image to enlarge]

CERES collects critical information about Earth's "radiation budget," which is the difference between the incoming energy from the Sun and the outgoing energy back to space. This determines Earth's temperature and climate. NOAA scientists will use data from CERES to improve their understanding of the role clouds and energy play in global climate change..


"CERES data will also improve the accuracy of radiation data derived from operational weather satellites, which are used in models to predict snow melt, to harmful conditions for corals in the oceans," said Istvan Laszlo, Ph.D., with NOAA's Satellite and Information Service.


Read more about NPP and JPSS at http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/jpss/.

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