CERES Cloud Radiative Effect Data (2000-2025)

What You're Looking At

This page shows direct satellite measurements of how clouds affect solar radiation reaching Earth.

Cloud Radiative Effect (CRE): Think of this like measuring the "cooling power" of clouds. When a cloud passes in front of the sun on a hot day, you feel cooler - that's the cloud radiative effect. Scientists measure this in watts per square meter (W/m²), the same units used to rate solar panels.

What the graphs show:

• Top of Atmosphere (TOA) SW CRE: How much solar energy clouds reflect back to space before it reaches Earth
• All-sky vs Clear-sky Surface Solar Flux: How much solar energy reaches the ground with clouds (all-sky) versus without clouds (clear-sky). The difference shows cloud blocking.
• Surface SW CRE: The direct measurement of how much solar energy clouds block from reaching the surface - currently about 79 W/m²
• Cloud Cover: What percentage of Earth is covered by clouds at any given time
• Cloud Optical Thickness: How "dense" or "opaque" clouds are - like measuring how thick a curtain is

Key Finding: These measurements directly refute claims that satellites don't measure how much solar radiation gets through clouds. CERES has been measuring this continuously since 2000.

Data Source: NASA CERES EBAF Edition 4.2.1