Monthly Global Cloud Liquid Water Measurements From Satellite

GCOM-W/AMSR2 L3 Cloud Liquid Water (1-Month, 0.25 deg) provides monthly averaged global measurements of vertically integrated cloud liquid water over oceans. The dataset is produced by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) from observations by the AMSR2 sensor aboard the GCOM-W satellite, which launched in May 2012. It includes statistical mean values for cloud liquid water content, standard deviation, and data counts on a 0.25-degree grid.

Use Cases

• Analyzing spatial and temporal trends in Cloud_Liquid_Water (CLW) column density to study cloud climatology and its role in the Earth's energy budget.
• Using the Standard_Deviation field to assess measurement variability and uncertainty for each monthly grid cell.
• Leveraging the Average_Number and Total_Number fields to evaluate data quality and coverage gaps for specific regions or time periods.
• Correlating monthly CLW values with other atmospheric parameters to model precipitation processes and hydrological cycles.
• Validating and calibrating global climate models (GCMs) against long-term, observation-based geospatial records of cloud liquid water.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage over ocean areas provided by the AMSR2 sensor's 1450 km swath.
• Long-term temporal coverage enabled by satellite operations starting in 2012.
• Data includes quality indicators like Standard_Deviation, Average_Number, and Total_Number for each grid cell.
• Standardized Level 3 processing calculates arithmetic means for daily and monthly values on a consistent 0.25-degree grid.

Limitations

• Spatial coverage is limited to ocean areas only, excluding land surfaces.
• The 0.25-degree grid resolution may be too coarse for regional or mesoscale atmospheric studies.
• Data may be affected by signal contamination in sea ice and precipitating areas, as noted in the description.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the AMSR2 sensor aboard the GCOM-W spacecraft, with Level 3 processing of Level 1B and Level 2 inputs to calculate monthly statistical means.

Time Range

Observations began after the satellite launch in May 2012; specific date range for the dataset is unknown.

Freshness

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Geography

Global coverage over ocean surfaces.