Effect of the Sun's Energy on the Ocean and Atmosphere

Scanner and Non-Scanner ERBE Instruments

The ERBE instrument packages carried on the ERBE satellites and the TIROS weather satellites, consisted of both scanning and non-scanning devices.

ERBE scanner instrument. Photo: ERBE, Atmospheric Sciences Division, NASA LaRC.

The scanner instrument package contains three detectors that scan or move across the field of view, perpendicular to the satellite groundtrack, from horizon to horizon. The dectectors are thermistors and the three measure radiation in the shortwave (0.2 to 50 microns), longwave (5 to 50 microns)and total waveband (0.2 to 50 microns) ranges.

ERBE non-scanner instrument. Photo: ERBE, Atmospheric Sciences Division, NASA LaRC.

The non-scanner package contains four Earth-viewing channels and one solar monitor. Two of the Earth-viewing channels monitor horizon to horizon (fixed field) and two others have a fixed field of view of about 1000 km in diameter. The one solar monitor is a direct descendant of the one used in the Solar Maximum Mission which measured the flux from the sun called the Solar Constant. This instrument is called an Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor Dectector.

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