Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to content
  • Feedback

    • Earth Systems Research Laboratory Global Radiation Surface Radiation Budget (SURFRAD) Quality Control Radiation (QCRAD) Level 3 Measurements

    Metadata Updated: September 19, 2023

    The Global Radiation and Aerosol (GRAD) Group is part of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) in Boulder, CO. The GRAD Group is involved in observational and theoretical research of the Earth's surface and atmospheric radiation budgets. The group specializes in the investigation of climatically significant variations in long-term radiation and meteorological measurements made at diverse globally-remote sites and continental US sites. The GRAD Observation Network is comprised of ESRL Global Monitoring Division (GMD) Baseline Observatories, GMD Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) sites, Surface Radiation (SURFRAD) sites in the continental United States, Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) international sites, NOAA/EPA Brewer Spectrophotometer Network (NEUBrew) sites in the continental United States, Antarctic UV sites, and Solar Radiation (SOLRAD) sites in the continental United States. In addition to measurements made at GRAD Observation Network sites, the group makes observations of spectral solar radiation for the remote sensing of certain atmospheric constituents and determination of variations in the UV irradiance. Group research interests include the extent and cause of observed radiation and climate variations and collaborations with other research groups to make satellite observations and climate model calculations as accurate as possible.

    Accurate and precise ground-based measurements in differing climatic regions are essential to refine and verify satellite-based estimates. To fill this need, the Surface Radiation Budget Network (SURFRAD) was established in 1993 as the first full surface radiation budget network operating across the United States with a primary object to support climate research with accurate, continuous, long-term measurements of the surface radiation budget over the United States. There are seven SURFRAD stations that operate in climatologically diverse regions: Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, Montana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. The SURFRAD network collects independent measures of upwelling and downwelling radiation, solar and infrared radiation, ancillary observations include direct and diffuse solar, photosynthetically active radiation, erythemal UVB, spectral solar, and meteorological parameters. Data are downloaded, quality controlled, and processed into daily files that are distributed in near real time by anonymous FTP and the web. Observations from SURFRAD have been used for evaluating satellite-based estimates of surface radiation, and for validating hydrologic, weather prediction, and climate models while working closely with other universities, national labs, and scientific programs.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date June 23, 2023
    Metadata Created Date October 28, 2022
    Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2023
    Reference Date(s) March 14, 2018 (publication), 1995-01 (creation)
    Frequency Of Update monthly

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from ncdc

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    SURFRAD Network Map

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date June 23, 2023
    Metadata Created Date October 28, 2022
    Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2023
    Reference Date(s) March 14, 2018 (publication), 1995-01 (creation)
    Responsible Party NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.ncdc:C01566
    Access Constraints Cite as: Augustine, John; Stanitsky, Diane; Cornwall, Chris; and NOAA ESRL (2018): Earth Systems Research Laboratory Global Radiation Surface Radiation Budget (SURFRAD) Quality Control Radiation (QCRAD) Level 3 Measurements, Version 1. [User indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.25921/rjq4-cq67 [User indicate access date]., Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives., Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
    Bbox East Long -66.0
    Bbox North Lat 50.0
    Bbox South Lat 24.0
    Bbox West Long -125.0
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update monthly
    Graphic Preview Description SURFRAD Network Map
    Graphic Preview File https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/metadata/images/C01566.gif
    Graphic Preview Type GIF
    Harvest Object Id 9ced11bb-b165-43cf-9010-e3a45e67ebe5
    Harvest Source Id 2cb3ef77-1683-4c2a-9119-dc65e50917c6
    Harvest Source Title ncdc
    Licence
    Lineage The SURFRAD network was originally funded by NOAA's Office of Global Programs in 1993. Its funding was eventually transferred to NOAA's Climate Program Office.
    Metadata Language eng; USA
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-125.0, 24.0], [-66.0, 24.0], [-66.0, 50.0], [-125.0, 50.0], [-125.0, 24.0]]]}
    Progress onGoing
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 1995-01

    Didn't find what you're looking for? Suggest a dataset here.