Global Ice Cloud Optical Thickness from ADEOS-II Satellite

Version 2 data from the GLI sensor on Japan's Midori II satellite provides monthly, global maps of ice cloud optical thickness derived from reflected solar radiation. The product includes statistical summaries like sum, square sum, maximum, and minimum values per 0.25-degree grid cell. This dataset was produced by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) with a last update recorded in October 2003.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial patterns of ice cloud optical thickness using the 0.25-degree gridded data to study cloud-climate interactions.
• Validate climate model outputs by comparing simulated cloud properties against the satellite-derived sum, max, and min statistics per grid cell.
• Investigate seasonal variations in ice cloud properties by utilizing the 1-month temporal resolution and available 16-day statistics.
• Study cloud microphysics by leveraging the retrieval method that uses specific GLI sensor channels at 678 nm, 865 nm, 3.715 μm, and 10.8 μm.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage at a 0.25-degree resolution.
• Includes multiple statistical aggregations (sum, square sum, max, min) for each grid cell.
• Data is versioned, with the current product being 'Version 2'.

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, with the last update in 2003.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and sample data are unavailable for assessing volume.
• The description notes the method is applicable to water clouds, but the product is for ice clouds, which may indicate a specialized or constrained retrieval.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Collection Method

Remote sensing data from the GLI (Global Imager) optical sensor onboard the ADEOS-II (Midori II) satellite, using a reflection method on specific spectral channels.

Time Range

Statistical periods of 1 month and 16 days are available; specific date range is unknown.

Freshness

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Geography

Global coverage.