Sentinel-5P TROPOMI: Cloud Properties from Satellite Observations

Sentinel-5P TROPOMI Cloud 1-Orbit L2 data provides high-resolution measurements of cloud properties derived from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument. The dataset is generated by two algorithms: OCRA for fractional cloud cover and ROCINN for cloud optical thickness and cloud top height. It is part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus program for monitoring atmospheric composition.

Use Cases

• Analyzing cloud fraction for weather model validation based on the OCRA algorithm output.
• Estimating cloud top height and optical thickness for climate studies based on the ROCINN algorithm using O2 A-band measurements.
• Tracking spatial and temporal cloud variability for atmospheric correction of other satellite data products.
• Supporting air quality research by characterizing cloud interference in trace gas retrievals like ozone and sulfur dioxide.

Strengths

• Provides high spatial resolution data (~5.5 km at nadir) starting from August 6, 2019.
• Derived from a sophisticated hyperspectral instrument covering UV-VIS, NIR, and SWIR wavelengths.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov signals established importance and curation.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low: specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided.
• Data availability is split across three distinct collections based on processor version and date, requiring user navigation.
• License information is inconsistently reported as 'other-license-specified' or 'None'.

Provenance

Source

European Space Agency (ESA) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands via the Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor mission, distributed by GES DISC.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the TROPOMI push-broom grating hyperspectral spectrometer.

Time Range

Data available from before August 6, 2019, with processor updates on August 6, -2019 and July 13, 2020.

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:27:03.152903

Geography

Global coverage from a nadir-viewing satellite with a 108-degree Field of View.