HR: 1330h
AN: H32B-0567    [PDF]
TI: Example MODIS Global Cloud Optical and Microphysical Properties: Comparisons Between Terra and Aqua
AU: Hubanks, P A
EM: hubanks@climate.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: SSAI, 10210 Greenbelt Rd. Suite 600, Lanham, MD 20706 United States
AU: * Platnick, S
EM: steven.platnick@nasa.gov
AF: NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: King, M D
EM: michael.d.king@nasa.gov
AF: NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Ackerman, S A
EM:
AF: University of Wisconsin, CIMSS 1225 W. Dayton St., Madison, WI 53706 United States
AU: Frey, R A
EM:
AF: University of Wisconsin, CIMSS 1225 W. Dayton St., Madison, WI 53706 United States
AB: MODIS observations from the NASA EOS Terra spacecraft (launched in December 1999, 1030 local time equatorial crossing) have provided a unique data set of Earth observations. With the launch of the NASA Aqua spacecraft in May 2002 (1330 local time), two MODIS daytime (sunlit) and nighttime observations are now available in a 24 hour period, allowing for some measure of diurnal variability. We report on an initial analysis of several operational global (Level-3) cloud products from the two platforms. The MODIS atmosphere Level-3 products, which include clear-sky and aerosol products in addition to cloud products, are available as three separate files providing daily, eight-day, and monthly aggregations; each temporal aggregation is spatially aggregated to a 1$\deg$ grid. The files contain approximately 600 statisitical datasets (from simple means and standard deviations to 1- and 2-dimensional histograms). Operational cloud products include detection (cloud fraction), cloud-top properties, and daytime-only cloud optical thickness and particle effective radius for both water and ice clouds. We will compare example global Terra and Aqua cloud fraction, optical thickness, and effective radius aggregations.
DE: 0320 Cloud physics and chemistry
DE: 0394 Instruments and techniques
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting