CERES Satellite to Ground-Site Validation Plots

These plots were generated using data ordered from the CERES SYN1deg Ed4.2 data ordering tool. For each site, hourly data from the full available time range (March 1, 2000 through April 30, 2026) was downloaded. After each site’s data file (in netCDF format) was received, a Python program separated the data into monthly netCDF files. A second Python program then used these monthly files to create four graph types (downwelling longwave, downwelling shortwave diffuse, downwelling shortwave direct, and downwelling shortwave global) for each month, year, and site. Each plot compares the observed radiation values to the corresponding SYN1deg values.

Note: Some ground-truth validation sites have not been operational for the entire timeline of CERES satellite data collection (2000-2026). If only one line appears on the comparison plot, it is likely because there was no ground-truth data for that specific month.