CERES MODIS Cloud Retrievals: Nighttime Aqua FM3 Edition3A

Pole-to-pole coverage of monthly and 3-hourly gridded cloud properties from the Aqua satellite's CERES-FM3 and MODIS instruments. The data product, created by NASA's CERES program, stratifies cloud fractions by pressure, optical depth, and phase across 42 cloud types. Data collection for this product is complete.

Use Cases

• Analyze global cloud type distributions based on monthly gridded regional mean cloud properties.
• Model cloud radiative transfer effects based on cloud properties stratified by pressure and optical depth.
• Compare daytime and nighttime cloud retrievals based on separate Aqua-MODIS and Terra-MODIS datasets.
• Validate climate models using cloud fractions for 42 cloud types similar to the ISCCP D1 product.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete, indicating a finalized dataset.
• Coverage spans from pole to pole, providing a global scope.
• Cloud properties are stratified by pressure, optical depth, and phase across 18 cloud types.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected using the CERES-FM3 and MODIS instruments on the Aqua satellite platform.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:57:42.257624; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global (pole-to-pole)