Global satellite data from NASA's Ocean Biology DAAC providing near real-time cloud properties. The dataset includes per-pixel cloud fraction, particle effective radius, optical thickness, water path, and cloud top metrics. It is produced using the best-available ancillary meteorological and ozone data for a snapshot within a single orbit.
Use Cases
- Screening clouds for atmospheric correction of ocean-color data based on cloud_fraction and cloud top properties.
- Evaluating cloud–radiation interactions based on cloud optical thickness (cot) and cloud water path (cwp).
- Joint analysis of cloud microphysics with ocean variables based on cloud particle effective radius (cer) retrievals.
- Climate modeling and cloud property monitoring based on global mapped ice_cloud and water_cloud fractions.
Strengths
- Provides core geophysical variables including cloud_fraction, ice_cloud, water_cloud, and cloud top height (cth).
- Includes cloud particle effective radius (cer), optical thickness (cot), and water path (cwp) retrieved via two-channel methods using specific near-IR bands (1.6, 2.1, 2.2 µm).
- Data is produced in near real-time, offering a snapshot of conditions within a single orbit.
Limitations
- Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- The inputs and calibration used are described as 'less than optimal' as they rely on the best-available ancillary data at the time of processing.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA Ocean Biology DAAC (OB_CLOUD).
- Collection Method
- Satellite remote sensing from the PACE OCI instrument, processed to Level-3 global mapped products.
- Freshness
- Near real-time (NRT).
- Geography
- Global.