The next generation of albedo directional models for earth radiation budget measurements

The calculation of the global monthly mean radiation budget from satellite measurements requires a method for accurately interpolating shortwave flux between observation times. For the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) (Barkstrom and Smith, 1986) and the Scanner for Radiation Budget Experiment (ScaRaB) this was, accomplished using models of solar zenith angle (SZA) dependence of albedo called Directional Models (DRM). Current models date back to data from Nimbus 7 in the late 1970's. This paper presents the results of a new technique for producing the next generation of directional models derived for the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) (Wielicki et al., 1996).