Global Daily Cloud Liquid Water Over Ocean From AMSR2 Satellite

Global daily and monthly statistical means of vertically integrated cloud liquid water over ocean surfaces, measured in kilograms per square meter. The dataset is derived from Level 1B and Level 2 data collected by the AMSR2 sensor onboard the JAXA GCOM-W satellite, which launched in May 2012. Data is provided on a 0.1-degree grid in HDF5 format, with separate calculations for ascending and descending satellite tracks.

Use Cases

• Analyzing spatial and temporal trends in cloud liquid water content over global oceans using the 0.1-degree grid data.
• Validating climate and weather model outputs for atmospheric hydrology by comparing against the satellite-derived daily statistical mean values.
• Investigating differences in cloud properties between ascending and descending satellite track observations.
• Studying the relationship between cloud liquid water and other atmospheric parameters in regions flagged for sea ice or precipitation.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage over ocean surfaces with a consistent 0.1-degree sampling resolution.
• Provides long-term data records from a sensor launched in 2012, enabling trend analysis.
• Clear data flags with specific missing (-32768) and error (-32761 to -32767) value definitions.

Limitations

• Data coverage is restricted to ocean areas only, excluding land surfaces.
• The presence of sea ice and precipitating areas is noted as a potential source of expected data complexity or error.
• Relies on microwave remote sensing, which may have specific retrieval uncertainties in certain atmospheric conditions.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Collection Method

Derived from Level 1B and Level 2 data from the AMSR2 microwave sensor on the GCOM-W satellite, processed to Level 3 daily and monthly statistical means using a simple arithmetic average.

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

Global coverage over ocean surfaces.