Satellite measurements of Earth’s radiation budget (ERB) have uncovered profound mysteries within the Earth system, including a doubling of Earth’s energy imbalance over the last two decades and a sustained hemispheric albedo symmetry. In this seminar, I will demonstrate that a targeted exploration of the spatial, diurnal, and spectral dimensions of ERB is essential to advance the field from the current state of broadband monitoring toward a robust, process-oriented understanding. Specifically, I will detail how the integration of state-of-the-art atmospheric modeling tools (including large eddy simulation, 3D radiative transfer, and global numerical weather prediction) with innovative analysis techniques (including machine learning, principal component analysis, and clustering) unlocks critical insights into the complex properties and processes governing shortwave ERB variability, thus underscoring the need for enhanced ERB measurement capabilities. The LASP-led Libera satellite mission is poised to pioneer this effort through a “split-shortwave” spectral channel and improved angular sampling, with the immediate goal of quantifying how shortwave absorption is partitioned between the atmosphere and surface. Building on Libera’s innovation, the next generation of ERB satellite missions have an unprecedented opportunity to leverage LASP’s cutting-edge instrument developments to fully realize the potential of these unexplored dimensions, enabling a new era of process-level ERB understanding.
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