Monthly Ice Cloud Optical Thickness Maps from GCOM-C Satellite

One-month statistical maps of ice cloud optical thickness derived from the SGLI sensor onboard the JAXA GCOM-C satellite. The data provides global coverage with a spatial resolution of 1/12 degree and includes average values and quality flags. It is produced by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) from observations beginning after the satellite's launch in December 2017.

Use Cases

• Analyzing spatial patterns of the `ice_cloud_optical_thickness` average (`AVE`) to study cloud-climate feedback mechanisms.
• Using the `QA_flag` column to filter and assess data reliability for regional climate trend analysis.
• Incorporating the 1/12-degree resolution geospatial data into Earth system models to improve cloud parameterization.
• Comparing monthly `AVE` statistics against other satellite products to validate the GCOM-C/SGLI sensor performance.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage enables hemisphere-wide climate studies.
• Data is available at multiple temporal resolutions (1-day, 8-day, 1-month) for analysis at different scales.
• Product is at Version 3, indicating iterative processing improvements.

Limitations

• The specific row count and total file size are not provided, limiting assessment of data volume.
• The dataset description does not specify the exact temporal range available since the 2017 launch.
• Reliance on quality flags (`QA_flag`) requires user understanding of the sensor's retrieval algorithm for correct filtering.

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 processed into Level 3 map-projected data.

Time Range

Observations began after the satellite launch on December 23, 2017; specific date range of available data is not provided.

Freshness

Update frequency is not specified, but data is derived from an operational satellite launched in 2017.

Geography

Global