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Description

The CLOUD data suite provides per-pixel microphysics and macrophysics to support cloud/climate applications. Typical uses: screening clouds for atmospheric correction, evaluating cloud–radiation interactions, and joint analyses with ocean-color variables (e.g., chlorophyll, Rrs).

Core geophysical variables in this suite include:
• cloud_fraction — Cloud fraction (unitless; 0–1)
• ice_cloud — Ice cloud fraction (unitless; 0–1)
• water_cloud — Water cloud fraction (unitless; 0–1)
• cer_16 / cer_21 / cer_22 — Cloud particle effective radius (µm) retrieved from two-channel methods using near-IR bands (1.6, 2.1, or 2.2 µm) paired with a non-absorbing band
• cot_16 / cot_21 / cot_22 — Cloud optical thickness (unitless) retrieved from two-channel methods using near-IR bands
• cwp_16 / cwp_21 / cwp_22 — Cloud water path (g m⁻²) retrieved from two-channel methods using near-IR bands
• cth — Cloud top height (m)
• ctp — Cloud top pressure (hPa)
• ctt — Cloud top temperature (K)
• l2_flags — Level-2 Processing Flags (bitmask; see product attributes for definitions)

Product Summary

Platforms
PACE
Instruments
OCI
Spatial Extent

N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180

Location
GLOBAL OCEAN
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
GEODETIC
Temporal Extent
2024-03-05 to Present
Data Partner
Ocean Biology Processing Group (OBPG) ,
Ocean Biology Distributed Active Archive Center (OB.DAAC), Global Change Data Center, Earth Sciences Division, Science and Exploration Directorate, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA (NASA/GSFC/SED/ESD/GCDC/OB.DAAC)
Concept ID
C3620139797-OB_CLOUD
Data State
ACTIVE
Number of Files/Granules
39742
Processing Level
2
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Visible Wavelengths ,
Clouds ,
Cloud Properties ,
Cloud Microphysics ,
Cloud Optical Depth/Thickness

Documents

Variables

The table below lists the variables contained within a single granule for this dataset. Variables often contain observed or derived geophysical measurements collected from a variety of sources, including remote sensing instruments on satellite and airborne platforms, field campaigns, in situ measurements, and model outputs. The terms variable, parameter, scientific data set, layer, and band have been used across NASA’s Earth science disciplines; however, variable is the designated nomenclature in NASA’s Common Metadata Repository (CMR). Variable metadata attributes such as Name, Description, Units, Data Type, Fill Value, Valid Range, and Scale Factor allow users to efficiently process and analyze the data. The full range of attributes may not be applicable to all variables. Additional information on variable attributes is typically available in the data, user guide, and/or other product documentation.

For questions on a specific variable, please use the Earthdata Forum.

Name Description Units Data Type Fill Value Valid Range Scale Factor Offset
geophysical_data/cer_16 Cloud Particle Effective Radius two-channel retrieval using the 1.6 um band and either the 0.65 um, 0.86 um, or 1.2 um band (specified in cld_non_abs_band) micron float32 -32767 2 to 60 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cer_21 Cloud Particle Effective Radius two-channel retrieval using the 2.1 um band and either the 0.65 um, 0.86 um, or 1.2 um band (specified in cld_non_abs_band) micron float32 -32767 2 to 60 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cer_22 Cloud Particle Effective Radius two-channel retrieval using the 2.2 um band and either the 0.65 um, 0.86 um, or 1.2 um band (specified in cld_non_abs_band) micron float32 -32767 2 to 60 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cld_non_abs_band Non-absorbing band used for 2-channel cloud retrieval: 0 - none, 1 - around 650 nm (for land surface), 2 = around 860 (for water surface), 3 - around 1200 (ice/snow surface) N/A int8 -1 1 to 3 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cld_phase_16 Index of the cloud phase derived for the 1600 nm products: 0 - no cloud mask, 1 - clear, 2 - water cloud, 3 - ice cloud, 4 - unknown, assume water cloud N/A int8 -1 0 to 4 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cld_phase_21 Index of the cloud phase derived for the 2100 nm products: 0 - no cloud mask, 1 - clear, 2 - water cloud, 3 - ice cloud, 4 - unknown, assume water cloud N/A int8 -1 0 to 4 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cld_phase_22 Index of the cloud phase derived for the 2200 nm products: 0 - no cloud mask, 1 - clear, 2 - water cloud, 3 - ice cloud, 4 - unknown, assume water cloud N/A int8 -1 0 to 4 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cot_16 Cloud Optical Thickness at 670 nm two-channel retrieval using the 1.6 um band and either the 0.65 um, 0.86 um, or 1.2 um band (specified in cld_non_abs_band) none float32 -32767 0.050000000745058 to 159 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cot_21 Cloud Optical Thickness at 670 nm two-channel retrieval using the 1.6 um band and either the 0.65 um, 0.86 um, or 1.2 um band (specified in cld_non_abs_band) none float32 -32767 0.050000000745058 to 159 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cot_22 Cloud Optical Thickness at 670 nm two-channel retrieval using the 1.6 um band and either the 0.65 um, 0.86 um, or 1.2 um band (specified in cld_non_abs_band) none float32 -32767 0.050000000745058 to 159 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cth Height at the cloud top kilometers float32 -32767 0 to 30 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cth_alb Best surface albedo made by cloud top height algorithm N/A float32 -32767 0 to 2 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cth_cost Retrieval cost at solution for best-fit cloud optical model N/A float32 -32767 0 to 300 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cth_cot Cloud optical thickness at 760 nm from cloud top height algorithm" N/A float32 -32767 0 to 500 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cth_dalb Estimated 1sigma uncertainty on retrieved surface albedo for best-fit cloud optical model N/A float32 -32767 0 to 2 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cth_dcot Estimated 1-sigma uncertainty on retrieved COT at 760 nm from cloud top height algorithm N/A float32 -32767 0 to 150 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cth_dcth Estimated 1sigma uncertainty on retrieved CTH for best-fit cloud optical model, km kilometers float32 -32767 0 to 15 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cth_dctp Estimated 1sigma uncertainty on retrieved CTP for best-fit cloud optical model, mb kilometers float32 -32767 0 to 150 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cth_dctt Estimated 1sigma uncertainty on retrieved CTT for best-fit cloud optical model, K degree K float32 -32767 0 to 50 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cth_iter Number of iterations to convergence for best-fit cloud optical model N/A int32 -32767 0 to 10000 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cth_phase Cloud phase determined by cloud top height algorithm: 0 - water, 1 - ice none uint8 128 0 to 1 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/ctp Air pressure at the cloud top mbar float32 -32767 50 to 1100 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/ctt Air temperature at the cloud top degree K float32 -32767 100 to 350 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cwp_16 Cloud Column Water Path two-channel retrieval using the 1.6 um band and either the 0.65 um, 0.86 um, or 1.2 um band (specified in cld_non_abs_band) g/m^2 float32 -32767 0.10000000149012 to 500 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cwp_21 Cloud Column Water Path two-channel retrieval using the 2.1 um band and either the 0.65 um, 0.86 um, or 1.2 um band (specified in cld_non_abs_band) g/m^2 float32 -32767 0.10000000149012 to 500 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/cwp_22 Cloud Column Water Path two-channel retrieval using the 2.2 um band and either the 0.65 um, 0.86 um, or 1.2 um band (specified in cld_non_abs_band) g/m^2 float32 -32767 0.10000000149012 to 500 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/ice_cloud Ice cloud fraction for this pixel: 0 - none, 1 - cloud N/A int8 -1 0 to 1 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/l2_flags Level-2 Processing Flags N/A int32 N/A -2147483648 to 2147483647 N/A N/A
geophysical_data/water_cloud Water cloud fraction for this pixel: 0 - none, 1 - cloud N/A int8 -1 0 to 1 N/A N/A
navigation_data/latitude Latitude degrees_north float32 -999 -90 to 90 N/A N/A
navigation_data/longitude Longitude degrees_east float32 -999 -180 to 180 N/A N/A
navigation_data/tilt Sensor tilt angle degree float32 -32767 -25 to 25 N/A N/A
scan_line_attributes/clat Center Latitude degrees_north float32 -999 -90 to 90 N/A N/A
scan_line_attributes/clon Center Longitude degrees_east float32 -999 -180 to 180 N/A N/A
scan_line_attributes/csol_z Center Solar Zenith Angle degree float32 -999 -90 to 90 N/A N/A
scan_line_attributes/day Scan day of year days int32 -32767 0 to 366 N/A N/A
scan_line_attributes/detnum Detector Number (zero-based) N/A int8 -1 0 to 25 N/A N/A
scan_line_attributes/elat Ending Latitude degrees_north float32 -999 -90 to 90 N/A N/A
scan_line_attributes/elon Ending Longitude degrees_east float32 -999 -180 to 180 N/A N/A
scan_line_attributes/msec Scan time, milliseconds of day milliseconds int32 -32767 0 to 86400000 N/A N/A
scan_line_attributes/mside Mirror Side (zero-based) N/A int8 -1 0 to 1 N/A N/A
scan_line_attributes/slat Starting Latitude degrees_north float32 -999 -90 to 90 N/A N/A
scan_line_attributes/slon Starting Longitude degrees_east float32 -999 -180 to 180 N/A N/A
scan_line_attributes/time scan line time in seconds since 1970-1-1 seconds since 1970-1-1 float64 -32767 N/A N/A N/A
scan_line_attributes/year Scan year years int32 -32767 1900 to 2100 N/A N/A
sensor_band_parameters/aw Band-pass averaged absorption coefficient for seawater m^-1 float32 -32767 9.9999997473788E-5 to 5 N/A N/A
sensor_band_parameters/bbw Band-pass averaged backscattering coefficient for seawater m^-1 float32 -32767 4.9999998736894E-6 to 1 N/A N/A
sensor_band_parameters/F0 Mean Solar Flux W m^-2 um^-1 float32 -32767 0 to 2500 N/A N/A
sensor_band_parameters/k_no2 NO2 Absorption cross-sections cm^2 molecule^-1 float32 -32767 0 to 0.10000000149012 N/A N/A
sensor_band_parameters/k_oz Ozone Absorption cross-sections cm^-1 float32 -32767 0 to 0.10000000149012 N/A N/A
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