Cloud
The sections below contain information on the cloud data types; including output attributes, quality and purpose of the data. Click on the pictures for links to the data.
Clouds have long been recognised as one of the key moderators of the Earth’s atmosphere: low clouds, such as stratus, effectively reflect incoming solar radiation, giving an overall cooling effect, while high clouds may partially transmit solar radiation, but effectively trap the outgoing thermal radiation resulting in an overall warming effect. The balance between these effects and, in particular, how they might change over time, involving processes such as water vapour-feedback and cloud-aerosol interaction, significantly complicates prediction of future climate, as has been recognised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The ATSR series of instruments is well calibrated and has a stable orbit making it suitable to create climate quality records of cloud properties. How the cloud properties, such as height, fraction, optical thickness and effective radius, vary globally and in time should provide valuable information for increasing our understanding of climate.
See the below links for cloud data.
ORAC (Optimal Retreival of Aerosol and Cloud)
Format: L3 and L2, netCDF4 format
Quality: Each product includes a pixel uncertainty estimates
Digital Object Identify (DOI) number: N/A
Date of most recent version: 2016
Access: Public Access
Supporting data:This cloud algorithm is consistent with the algorithm used in the Aerosol CCI
CLOUDMAP2
Quality: This data set has been superseded by ORAC CCI cloud data set. European area only.
Digital Object Identify (DOI) number: N/A
Date of most recent version: 2006
Access: Restricted to CLOUDMAP2 consortium. Access through the web (using a login name) or via FTP.
GRAPE
Format: HDF and netCDF for Level 3 products
Quality:This data set has been superseded by ORAC CCI cloud data set.
Digital Object Identify (DOI) number: N/A
Date of most recent version: June 2010
Access: Public with online registration.
For more information on ATSR cloud data please contact caroline.poulsen@stfc.ac.uk
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