Daily Ice Cloud Optical Thickness from GCOM-C Satellite at 1/12 Degree Resolution

Daily global binned statistics for ice cloud optical thickness, derived from the SGLI sensor onboard the JAXA GCOM-C satellite. The data is spatially aggregated to a 1/12-degree grid and includes statistical measures like average, root-mean-square, maximum, and minimum values. It is produced by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) from observations beginning after the satellite's launch on December 23, 2017.

Use Cases

• Analyzing spatial patterns of ice_cloud_optical_thickness using the gridded average (AVE) values to study cloud-climate feedbacks.
• Assessing retrieval uncertainty or variability in cloud properties by comparing the root-mean-square (RMS) and maximum/minimum (MAX/MIN) statistics across different regions.
• Filtering data quality for time-series analysis by applying the quality_flag (QA_flag) and checking the number_of_used_data (Nused) per grid cell.
• Creating global composite maps of cloud properties by aggregating daily binned data over longer periods using the date_of_observation (Date) field.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage for each daily product.
• Provides multiple statistical measures (AVE, RMS, MAX, MIN, Ninput, Nused) per grid cell for data quality assessment.
• Data is available at multiple temporal resolutions (1-day, 8-day, 1-month) for different analysis needs.
• Spatial resolution of 1/12 degree offers detailed global mapping.

Limitations

• Specific row count and total file size are not provided, making storage and processing requirements unclear.
• The description does not specify the temporal range or end date of available data, only a launch date.
• Relies on satellite sensor retrievals which can have inherent uncertainties not quantified in the provided summary.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Collection Method

Derived from Level 1B and Level 2 products from the SGLI sensor on the GCOM-C satellite, statistically binned in time and space.

Time Range

Observations began after the satellite launch on December 23, 2017; specific end date not provided.

Freshness

Update frequency is daily, but the recency of the latest available data is unknown.

Geography

Global coverage.