MACTWP_mean: Monthly Ocean Cloud and Rain Water Path from Multi-Sensor Satellites

Monthly 1.0-degree resolution ocean-only estimates of cloud liquid water path and total water path, produced by NASA. The data is derived from multiple satellite sensors and includes bias corrections and diurnal cycle mitigation. The dataset was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in cloud liquid water path over oceans based on monthly climatologies.
• Studying the diurnal cycle of cloud water based on the included amplitude and phase fields.
• Quality-screening cloud water path data using the total water path field as a control.
• Investigating the ratio of cloud to rain water in atmospheric models based on the separate cloud and total water path estimates.

Strengths

• Data incorporates inputs from seven satellite sensors (SSM/I, AMSR-E, TMI, AMSR-2, GMI, SSMIS, WindSat) for broad coverage.
• Algorithm performs bias correction based on AMSR-E matchups to clear-sky MODIS scenes.
• Method mitigates spurious trends from drifting satellite overpass times by solving for monthly averages and diurnal cycles simultaneously.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is ocean-only, limiting applicability for land-based atmospheric studies.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Algorithm processes Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) Version 7 0.25-degree retrieval products from multiple satellite sensors.

Time Range

Monthly estimates, temporal coverage not explicitly stated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 00:05:01.840914; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global ocean coverage at 1.0-degree spatial resolution.