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Instrument details
Acronym
GERB
Full name
Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget
Purpose
Frequent observation of Earth radiation budget
Short description
Two broad-band channels, for solar reflected radiance and total reflected/emitted radiance [see detailed characteristics below]
Background
New development
Scanning Technique
Mechanical, spinning satellite, E-W continuous, S-N stepping
Resolution
42 km
Coverage / Cycle
Full disk every 5 min. Integration over three cycles (15 min) to comply with accuracy requirements
Mass
25 kg
Power
35 W
Data Rate
50.6 kbps
Providing Agency
UKSA
Instrument Maturity
Flown on operational programme
Utilization Period:
2004-01-09 to 2015
Last update:
2021-06-14
Detailed characteristics
Channel Spectral interval Noise Equivalent Radiance Absolute accuracy SNR Short-wave
0.32 - 4.0 µm
0.8 W m-2 sr-1
2.4 W m-2 sr-1
1250
Total radiance
0.32 - 100 µm
0.15 W m-2 sr-1
0.4 W m-2 sr-1
400
Satellites this instrument is flying on
Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a
green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates
future satellites
Instrument classification
Earth observation instrument Passive optical radiometer or spectrometer Broadband Earth radiation radiometer
WIGOS Subcomponents
Subcomponent 1 Broadband radiometer (for ERB)
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives Upward long-wave irradiance at TOA Upward short-wave irradiance at TOA Show all Show fewer
Tentative Evaluation of Measurements
The following list indicates which measurements can typically be
retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable,
click on the respective variable.
Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Variable Relevance for measuring this variable Operational limitations Explanation
Upward short-wave irradiance at TOA 2 - very high Information on BRDF needed. SW and Total (SW+LW) broadband channels. Frequent sampling (GEO) enable capturing diurnal variations, particularly due to clouds. Also, changing solar incidence angle helps with irradiance computation
Upward long-wave irradiance at TOA 2 - very high No specific limitation. LW radiance achieved by difference between Total and SW. Frequent sampling (GEO) enable capturing diurnal variations due to clouds.and water vapour rapid evolution
Instrument: GERB