MODIS Aqua Satellite Cloud Properties at 1km and 5km Resolution

NASA's Aqua satellite provides Level-2 cloud optical and physical parameters derived from infrared, visible, and near-infrared radiances. The product contains parameters like cloud optical thickness and effective particle radius, with spatial resolutions of 1 km or 5 km at nadir. Each data file covers a five-minute observation interval.

Use Cases

• Analyze cloud_top_temperature and cloud_top_height to model atmospheric heat distribution.
• Classify cloud_phase (ice vs. water) using infrared and near-infrared radiance data for precipitation studies.
• Retrieve cloud_optical_thickness and effective_particle_radius from visible radiances for aerosol-cloud interaction research.
• Assess cloud_fraction derived from infrared channels for global cloud coverage statistics.
• Study cloud_shadow_effects from visible radiances for surface radiation budget calculations.

Strengths

• Parameters provided at two spatial resolutions: 1 km and 5 km at nadir.
• Data covers both daytime and nighttime conditions.
• Each file represents a continuous five-minute observation interval.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column details, and temporal coverage range are unknown.
• Geographic coverage is limited to the swath path of the Aqua satellite.
• Changes in Collection 6.1 are primarily ancillary, with no updates to core retrieval science.

Provenance

Source

NASA MODIS instrument on the Aqua satellite.

Collection Method

Derived from remotely sensed infrared, visible, and near-infrared solar reflected radiances.

Freshness

Near Real-Time (NRT) product, but exact update frequency is unknown.

Geography

Global coverage along satellite swath.