Thick cloud cover tends to reflect a large amount of incoming solar energy back to space.
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. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (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,” said Istvan Laszlo with NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service.
Image courtesy of the NASA/NOAA/CERES team.
Source: NOAA
