ERBE's Accomplishments
At any one time, about half of the Earth's surface is covered by clouds. Some are high and some are low. How can we figure out what the overall effect is on Earth's temperature? We do this by taking global measurements from satellites in Earth orbit. We can then form a picture of the net effect of clouds all over the globe. The Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE), which performed such measurements in the 1980s, provided scientists with the best information to date on the effects of clouds on climate. The information was important enough to be used as the cover for the journal Science in 1989.
The caption reads "Depiction of the effect of clouds on the radiative heating
of the planet as determined from the NASA Earth Radiation Budget Experiment.
Regions where clouds have a cooling effect are shown in green and blue (dark
blue, strongest effect). The cooling effect arises because the reflection of
solar radiation by clouds exceeds their greenhouse effect. In yellow regions
the two effects nearly cancel; rust indicates slight heating. Globally, the
satellite data revealed that clouds have a large cooling effect on the
radiation budget of the planet."
ERBE measured the effects of clouds by identifying the difference in the energy output of the Earth in clear versus cloudy areas of the globe. The only quantity ERBE could measure was the energy that reached its sensors.
Further reading on ERBE can be found at
http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/ERBE.html
The above-mentioned article is:
Ramanathan, V., et al., "Cloud-Radiative Forcing and Climate: Results from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment," Science, Vol. 243, 6 January 1989, pp. 57-62.
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