The CERES experiment is one of the highest priority scientific satellite instruments developed for NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS). CERES products include both solar-reflected and Earth-emitted radiation from the top of the atmosphere to the Earth's surface. Cloud properties are determined using simultaneous measurements by other EOS instruments such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Analyses of the CERES data, which build upon the foundation laid by previous missions such as the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE), will lead to a better understanding of the role of clouds and the energy cycle in global climate change.

      CAVE is an informal record containing radiation and meteorological data for a number of specific sites that have: top-of-atmosphere (TOA) broadband observations from CERES, retrievals of the Surface and Atmospheric Radiation Budget (SARB); collocated with surface broadband flux measurements from ARM, SURFRAD, CMDL, and BSRN and ancillary meteorological data, such as vertical profiles of temperature and humidity,column integrated aerosol optical depth, and cloud properties.

      The CLARREO mission is being developed by NASA and partner organizations to monitor the pulse of the atmosphere to better understand climate change. The CLARREO mission will provide accurate, credible, and tested climate records that lay the groundwork for informed decisions on mitigation and adaptation policies that address the effects of climate change on society.

      This group develops and applies advanced data analysis techniques to interpret satellite measurements of clouds and radiative characteristics of the Earth. To accomplish their goals, scientists in the group participate in several field experiment programs, perform satellite and radiative transfer studies of cirrus and marine stratocumulus clouds, study radiation and its relationship to tropical convection and cirrus clouds and develop methods for detecting contrails from space and determining their impact on climate.

      FLASHFlux provides near real-time quantification of surface radiative fluxes that are important for understanding the impact of changes to the Earth's surface and the atmospheric state on surface radiative fluxes. This constitutes an important step in the understanding of weather and climate processes. Timely analysis of these fluxes also helps to characterize their spatial and temporal variability on regional and global scales.

      The Global Energy and Water-cycle Experiment (GEWEX) is an integrated program of research, observations and science activities with the goal of providing data sets to support accurate predictions of global and regional climate change. Research in the areas of Earth radiation budget, hydrometeorology and modeling/prediction contribute to meeting the goal of GEWEX.

      The NASA/GEWEX SRB project is a major component of the GEWEX radiation research. The objective of the NASA/GEWEX SRB project is to determine surface, top-of-atmosphere (TOA) and atmospheric shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) radiative fluxes with the precision needed to predict transient climate variations and decadal-to-centennial climate trends.

      The Chesapeake Lighthouse is an ocean platform located 25 km from Virginia Beach, Virginia. This location is a primary validation site for the CERES project. The site was chosen primarily due to homogeneity of the surrounding scene type and because the ocean (which covers approximately 70% of the Earth's surface) has very few radiometric measurement stations. Basic radiometric instrumentation was installed using the recommendations of the WMO's Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) program. In addition to the NASA sponsored COVE experiments, there are non-CERES/NASA observation programs located at the lighthouse.

      Because the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite launch in 1984, the ERBE Project has validated the instrument results and produced data products for use by the science community. These products range from instantaneous time-sequenced instrument measurements to monthly-averaged regional, zonal and global estimates of radiation budget parameters.

      The First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment was organized by a group of atmospheric scientists and federal agencies in 1984 to address fundamental processes involving clouds and radiation in the climate system. The coordinated research effort sought to expand the basic knowledge of the interaction between clouds and climate, to improve the understanding of radiative and physical processes, climatically important cloud systems, and to improve satellite-based cloud-radiative monitoring systems (e.g., ISCCP) and global climate model parameterizations.

      Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter. Instruments like spectrometers use prisms or other devices to split radiation into various wavelengths. Atmospheric spectroscopy uses these and other instruments to gain an understanding of the composition of our atmosphere.

      The Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy (SSE) Project, managed by NASA Langley, works with other government and private organizations to develop the commercial potential of NASA satellite measurements. The SSE Project goal is to put state-of-the-art, satellite-derived solar and meteorological data into the hands of individuals who are involved in the research and analysis of the feasibility of renewable energy technologies.