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PUBLISHED MODELS, CITED MEASUREMENTS
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DATA STATUS
472 series loaded · last import on 2026-10-27

Earth’s energy budget The energy received from the Sun minus the energy sent back to space, measured by satellite

Energy imbalance, last 12 months
1.65 W/m²
2026-08
energy received minus energy sent back to space
 
CERES EBAF-TOA, Earth's radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere, monthly global means (NASA LaRC) · NASA open data, no restriction; Earthdata login required; cite Loeb et al. (2018) and the data DOI · 10/27/26 Current
Largest 12-month imbalance
2.00 W/m²
2023-07
mean of the 12 months ending on that date
 
CERES EBAF-TOA, Earth's radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere, monthly global means (NASA LaRC) · NASA open data, no restriction; Earthdata login required; cite Loeb et al. (2018) and the data DOI · 10/27/26 Current
Smallest 12-month imbalance
-0.06 W/m²
2002-09
mean of the 12 months ending on that date
 
CERES EBAF-TOA, Earth's radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere, monthly global means (NASA LaRC) · NASA open data, no restriction; Earthdata login required; cite Loeb et al. (2018) and the data DOI · 10/27/26 Current
Cloud radiative effect, last 12 months
-17.6 W/m²
2026-08
all-sky net − clear-sky net: clouds cool
 
CERES EBAF-TOA, Earth's radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere, monthly global means (NASA LaRC) · NASA open data, no restriction; Earthdata login required; cite Loeb et al. (2018) and the data DOI · 10/27/26 Current
Earth’s energy imbalance since 2001 (12-month running mean) CERES EBAF-TOA, Earth's radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere, monthly global means (NASA LaRC) · NASA open data, no restriction; Earthdata login required; cite Loeb et al. (2018) and the data DOI · 10/27/26 Current
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Net flux at the top of the atmosphere (incoming solar − reflected − emitted infrared), global mean, W/m², mean of the 12 months ending at each date. Positive: the Earth accumulates energy. CERES EBAF Ed4.2.1.
Solar radiation reflected to space (12 months) CERES EBAF-TOA, Earth's radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere, monthly global means (NASA LaRC) · NASA open data, no restriction; Earthdata login required; cite Loeb et al. (2018) and the data DOI · 10/27/26 Current
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Global 12-month mean, W/m². Its decrease (fewer low clouds, less ice, fewer aerosols) explains most of the rise of the imbalance (Loeb et al., 2021).
Infrared emitted to space (12 months) CERES EBAF-TOA, Earth's radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere, monthly global means (NASA LaRC) · NASA open data, no restriction; Earthdata login required; cite Loeb et al. (2018) and the data DOI · 10/27/26 Current
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Global 12-month mean, W/m². A warmer Earth emits more; greenhouse gases and water vapour hold part of it back.
Cloud radiative effect (12 months) CERES EBAF-TOA, Earth's radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere, monthly global means (NASA LaRC) · NASA open data, no restriction; Earthdata login required; cite Loeb et al. (2018) and the data DOI · 10/27/26 Current
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Difference between the actual net flux and the one without clouds, W/m²: negative, clouds cool the planet on the whole (they reflect more sunlight than they hold infrared).
Monthly net flux and incoming solar radiation CERES EBAF-TOA, Earth's radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere, monthly global means (NASA LaRC) · NASA open data, no restriction; Earthdata login required; cite Loeb et al. (2018) and the data DOI · 10/27/26 Current
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Monthly values, W/m²: the annual oscillation comes from the Earth–Sun distance (perihelion in January, +3.4 % of radiation) and the uneven continents of the two hemispheres; hence the 12-month means of the other figures.
Method and sources

The fluxes come from CERES EBAF-TOA Ed4.2.1 (Loeb et al., 2018): measurements of the CERES radiometers (Terra, Aqua, NOAA-20 satellites), filled and balanced. Only the global monthly means of the file are read, byte by byte (one request of 44 bytes per month), without downloading the grids (900 MB).

The EBAF net flux is adjusted, within its uncertainty, so that its 2005–2015 mean equals the heating measured in the ocean by Argo floats: its absolute level is not an independent measurement, but its variations and trend are. Running means computed here over 12 complete months.

Reading these data
The imbalance is a small difference between two large fluxes (340 W/m² received, 339 sent back): the absolute calibration of the radiometers is not enough to measure it, hence the ocean anchor. Year-to-year variations follow El Niño (the Earth loses energy during El Niño, gains during La Niña); the 20-year trend exceeds this variability (Loeb et al., 2021).
SOURCES OF THIS PAGE
CERES EBAF-TOA, Earth's radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere, monthly global means (NASA LaRC)
Loeb, N. G., Doelling, D. R., Wang, H., Su, W., Nguyen, C., Corbett, J. G., Liang, L., Mitrescu, C., Rose, F. G., & Kato, S. (2018). Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Energy Balanced and Filled (EBAF) top-of-atmosphere (TOA) Edition-4.0 data product. Journal of Climate, 31, 895–918. NASA/LARC/SD/ASDC, CERES EBAF-TOA Edition 4.2.1, doi:10.5067/TERRA-AQUA-NOAA20/CERES/EBAF-TOA_L3B004.2.1. · doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0208.1 · source page ↗
Licence : NASA open data, no restriction; Earthdata login required; cite Loeb et al. (2018) and the data DOI · retrieved on Oct 27, 2026 · SHA-256 0136ab1f3b02…
Loeb et al. (2018)
Loeb, N. G., Doelling, D. R., Wang, H., Su, W., Nguyen, C., Corbett, J. G., Liang, L., Mitrescu, C., Rose, F. G., & Kato, S. (2018). Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Energy Balanced and Filled (EBAF) top-of-atmosphere (TOA) Edition-4.0 data product. Journal of Climate, 31(2), 895–918. · doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-17-0208.1
Licence : Published literature; cited
Loeb et al. (2021)
Loeb, N. G., Johnson, G. C., Thorsen, T. J., Lyman, J. M., Rose, F. G., & Kato, S. (2021). Satellite and ocean data reveal marked increase in Earth’s heating rate. Geophysical Research Letters, 48, e2021GL093047. · doi:10.1029/2021GL093047
Licence : Published literature; cited
von Schuckmann et al. (2023)
von Schuckmann, K., Minière, A., Gues, F., Cuesta-Valero, F. J., Kirchengast, G., et al. (2023). Heat stored in the Earth system 1960–2020: where does the energy go? Earth System Science Data, 15, 1675–1709. · doi:10.5194/essd-15-1675-2023
Licence : Published literature; cited
Trenberth et al. (2009)
Trenberth, K. E., Fasullo, J. T., & Kiehl, J. (2009). Earth’s global energy budget. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 90(3), 311–324. · doi:10.1175/2008BAMS2634.1
Licence : Published literature; cited

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