GARY ROTTMAN
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO

"SORCE — the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment"

SORCE - the SOlar Radiation and Climate Experiment - successfully launched on January 25, 2003 from KSC into Low Earth Orbit on a Pegasus XL.  This EOS satellite carries four scientific instruments that measure solar irradiance - both the total solar irradiance (TSI) and spectral irradiance from 1 to 2500 nm.  One SORCE spectrometer will monitor for the first time the variability in visible to near infrared wavelengths that heat Earth's troposphere and oceanic mixed layer.  In addition, other SORCE instruments continue observations of TSI (previous record from NIMBUS-7, SMM, UARS, SOHO and ACRIMSAT) and of UV irradiance (previous record from NIMBUS, SME, UARS and TIMED) with improved precision and accuracy.  Solar radiation is the dominant energy input to our terrestrial system – atmosphere, land and ocean – and SORCE irradiance observations will provide essential understanding of this important climate system variable.

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