MAC06S1: MODIS/Aqua Cloud Properties Subset Along CloudSat Track

NASA's MODIS/Aqua satellite data provides a wide-swath subset of cloud parameters along the CloudSat satellite's field of view. The product contains cloud optical thickness, effective particle radius, cloud top temperature, height, phase, and fraction derived from infrared, visible, and near-infrared radiances. The dataset was last updated on March 12, 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing cloud optical thickness and effective particle radius based on visible and near-infrared radiance retrievals.
• Studying cloud top temperature and height distributions based on infrared channel data.
• Investigating cloud phase (ice vs. water) and cloud fraction under day and night conditions.
• Validating or complementing cloud observations from the CloudSat satellite track.

Strengths

• Data is derived from MODIS/Aqua satellite radiances across multiple spectral channels.
• Subset provides a cross-track width of approximately 200 km along the CloudSat path.
• Contains parameters for both daytime and nighttime conditions.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Remotely sensed data from the MODIS/Aqua satellite, subset along the CloudSat track.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:51:40.287318; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage along the CloudSat satellite's orbital track.