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

Ice cloud optical thickness data is derived from the SGLI sensor on JAXA's GCOM-C satellite, launched in December 2017. This Level 3 product provides monthly binned statistics at a 1/12-degree spatial resolution with EQA projection. The dataset includes statistical measures like average, root-mean-square, and quality flags for the physical quantity.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial patterns of ice cloud optical thickness (AVE) to study cloud-climate feedback mechanisms.
• Validate climate model outputs of cloud properties using the monthly binned statistics (AVE, RMS, MAX, MIN).
• Investigate data quality and reliability for specific regions or periods using the quality flag (QA_flag) and counts of input/used data (Ninput, Nused).
• Assess temporal variability in ice clouds by comparing monthly binned products with the available 1-day and 8-day statistics.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a dedicated climate observation satellite (GCOM-C) launched in 2017, designed for long-term monitoring.
• Provides multiple statistical measures per grid cell, including average, root-mean-square, maximum, minimum, and data counts.
• Offers a consistent 1/12-degree spatial resolution with EQA projection for global coverage.
• Available in multiple temporal aggregations (1-day, 8-day, 1-month) facilitating analysis at different timescales.

Limitations

• The spatial resolution of approximately 9 km may be too coarse for studying small-scale cloud processes.
• Specific sample sizes (rows) and total data volume are not provided, making computational requirements unclear.
• The description does not specify the exact temporal coverage or when the data was last updated.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), generated from the SGLI sensor onboard the GCOM-C satellite.

Collection Method

Level 3 product created by statistically processing Level 1B and Level 2 satellite data in time and space domains, with 1-month binning.

Freshness

Update frequency is not specified, but the satellite has been operational since 2017, suggesting ongoing data collection.

Geography

Global coverage.