Measurement of the Point Response Functions of CERES Scanning Radiometers

Some applications of data from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) scanning radiometer require the use of the point response function (PRF), which describes the influence of radiance from each point on the measurement. A radiance source for the measurement of the PRF of the CERES instruments was built and installed into the Radiometric Calibration Facility, in which the CERES instruments have been calibrated. The design and application of the PRF source and the computation of the PRF from these measurements are described. In order to compare the PRF based on measurements with the theoretical PRF, it is necessary to account for the finite size of the beam from the source. The use of the PRF source and the analysis of the data are demonstrated by application to the FM-5 instrument. The measured results compare well with theory for the CERES instruments and are presented for FM-5.