Ice Cloud Optical Thickness from ADEOS-II Satellite

Version 2 data provides global measurements of ice cloud optical thickness, retrieved using an emission method on multi-channel radiance. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) produced this dataset from the GLI sensor onboard the ADEOS-II satellite, with a spatial resolution of 0.25 degrees and a 4-day statistical period. The product was last updated in October 2003.

Use Cases

• Analyze ice cloud optical thickness trends using the 4-day aggregated global data.
• Validate climate model cloud parameterizations with satellite-derived optical thickness from channels 30, 35, and 36.
• Study cloud radiative effects by correlating optical thickness with other atmospheric variables in the EQR map projection.
• Investigate the spatial distribution of ice clouds using the 0.25-degree resolution global grid.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage with a 1600 km sensor swath.
• Data aggregated over a 4-day period for temporal smoothing.
• Product is at Version 2, indicating a level of processing refinement.

Limitations

• Data is from 2003, limiting analysis of recent climate trends.
• Unknown sample size and row count for statistical robustness.
• Spatial resolution of 0.25 degrees may be coarse for regional studies.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Collection Method

Retrieved from the GLI (Global Imager) optical sensor onboard the ADEOS-II satellite using an emission method on multi-channel radiance.

Time Range

Coverage corresponds to the ADEOS-II mission period, last updated 2003-10-25.

Freshness

Last updated 2003-10-25; no ongoing updates indicated.

Geography

Global coverage with EQR (Equirectangular) map projection.