Global Cloud Top Height Maps From ADEOS-II Satellite

Monthly and 16-day global maps of water cloud top height derived from the ADEOS-II satellite's GLI sensor. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) produced this data using an emission method on multi-channel radiance measurements. The dataset was last updated in October 2003.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial patterns of cloud top height from the 1/4-degree gridded map to study cloud climatology.
• Validate climate model cloud parameterizations using the physical height values provided in kilometers.
• Investigate seasonal or interannual variability in cloud structure using the monthly and 16-day statistical periods.
• Correlate cloud top height data with other atmospheric variables using the EQR map projection for spatial alignment.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage for each time period.
• Data provided at two temporal resolutions: 1-month and 16-day statistics.
• Product is at a processed Level 3 (binned and mapped) stage.

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, with the last update in 2003.
• Specific row/record count and total file size are unknown.
• Limited to water clouds retrieved via a specific emission method using channels 30, 35, and 36.

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 specific infrared channels.

Time Range

Temporal coverage is not explicitly stated, but data generation ended with the satellite mission circa 2003.

Freshness

Last updated 2003-10-25; update frequency null.

Geography

Global.