Enhanced MODIS Airborne Simulator Cloud Optical Properties

Multispectral images of reflectance and brightness temperature across 10 wavelengths between 0.66 and 13.98 nm are used to derive cloud properties. This Level 2 product contains cloud optical and physical parameters derived from a 38-channel airborne instrument sensing from 0.445 to 13.844 um. The dataset is maintained by NASA's Airborne Sensor Facility and EOS Project Science Office.

Use Cases

• Deriving cloud optical thickness and effective radius for liquid water and ice clouds.
• Classifying cloud thermodynamic phase using infrared and near-infrared solar reflected radiances.
• Calculating probability of clear sky or cloud presence from multispectral imagery.
• Validating satellite-based cloud retrievals from instruments like MODIS with higher-resolution airborne data.

Strengths

• Data originates from a sophisticated 38-channel airborne instrument providing high spectral resolution.
• Derived parameters include multiple cloud properties (optical thickness, effective radius, phase) from 10 specific wavelengths.
• Dataset is hosted and maintained by authoritative NASA organizations (Airborne Sensor Facility, EOS Project Science Office).

Limitations

• Specific row count, file size, and temporal coverage are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one listing 2026-03-13 and another 2019-08-22.

Provenance

Source

NASA Airborne Sensor Facility at Ames Research Center, under oversight of the EOS Project Science Office at NASA Goddard.

Collection Method

Parameters derived from remotely sensed infrared and near-infrared solar reflected radiances collected by the airborne eMAS instrument.

Freshness

2026-03-13 03:05:16.560985