Global Ice Cloud Optical Thickness Map from GCOM-C Satellite

JAXA's GCOM-C satellite provides global maps of ice cloud optical thickness, a dimensionless measure of cloud density. The data is a Level 3 product with a 1/12-degree spatial resolution, statistically averaged over 8-day periods. It is derived from the SGLI sensor launched in December 2017 to support climate system observation.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial patterns of the ice cloud optical thickness (AVE) field to study cloud-climate interactions.
• Use the quality flag (QA_flag) column to filter and assess the reliability of optical thickness measurements for regional studies.
• Correlate 8-day average optical thickness with other climate variables to investigate seasonal atmospheric changes.
• Validate and calibrate numerical weather prediction and global climate models using the satellite-observed geospatial grid data.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage for comprehensive atmospheric analysis.
• Data available at three statistical periods: 1-day, 8-day, and 1-month for temporal flexibility.
• Product includes both average value (AVE) and a quality assessment flag (QA_flag) for data reliability checks.

Limitations

• Specific row count and total file size are not provided, limiting assessment of data volume.
• The description does not specify the temporal range of available data, only the satellite launch date.
• Data is provided in HDF5 format, which may require specialized libraries for processing.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Collection Method

Derived from Level 1B and Level 2 products of the SGLI sensor onboard the GCOM-C satellite, processed with statistical methods in time and space domains.

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

Global