EarthCARE’s broadband radiometer

ESA’s EarthCARE satellite carries four instruments, one of which is the broadband radiometer.

The broadband radiometer plays a crucial role in the mission by measuring the radiative fluxes at the top of Earth's atmosphere. As the satellite travels along its orbit, the radiometer views the atmosphere from three directions, allowing it to accurately quantify the amount of reflected solar radiation and the outgoing thermal radiation emitted by Earth.

This is known as the planet's energy balance. Comparing this to the radiation calculated from the combined observations of the other instruments helps scientists to improve our understanding of the aerosol-cloud-radiation interaction.

Read more about EarthCARE’s instrument package.