CERES MODIS and GEO Cloud Retrievals: Monthly Gridded Cloud Averages

CERES MODIS and GEO Cloud Retrievals in ISCCP-D2like Format Daytime Edition3A is a merged satellite data product providing monthly and 3-hourly gridded regional mean cloud properties. It combines daytime cloud data from Terra-MODIS, Aqua-MODIS, and multiple geostationary satellites, stratifying properties by pressure, optical depth, and phase across 18 cloud types. The product was created by NASA's CERES program and data collection is complete.

Use Cases

• Analyze cloud type distribution and properties based on monthly gridded regional averages.
• Study diurnal cloud behavior using the merged 3-hourly GMT-based data from multiple satellite platforms.
• Model cloud radiative transfer and atmospheric energy budgets based on cloud properties stratified by pressure and optical depth.
• Validate or compare cloud climatology models against the ISCCP-D2like standardized format.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete, providing a finalized historical record.
• Product merges data from over 15 distinct satellite platforms and instruments for diurnal completeness.
• Cloud properties are stratified by 18 types, pressure, optical depth, and phase, offering detailed categorization.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• GEO daytime cloud retrievals incorporate only a visible and IR channel common to all geostationary satellites, which may limit spectral detail.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale ML tasks.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) CERES program.

Collection Method

Merged retrievals from MODIS instruments on Terra and Aqua satellites and multiple geostationary satellites (GEO), normalized for consistency.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:54:59.649457; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Coverage from pole to pole.