ASDC | MIL3YCFA

MISR Level 3

Entry Title: MISR Level 3 Cloud Fraction by Altitude Product covering a year V001

Entry ID: MIL3YCFA_001

Clouds

Description

MIL3YCFA_001 is the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) Level 3 Cloud Fraction by Altitude Product covering a year version 1. It provides the frequency of cloud occurrence partitioned into different cloud top height bins at a global and monthly scale. it has multiple data layers, with latitude/longitude resolution of 0.5 degree by 0.5 degree and a vertical resolution of 500m. For each height bin, the frequency of cloud occurrence of a region over a time period is represented by the temporal mean of the spatial coverage of cloud tops. The spatial coverage of clouds is referred to as cloud fraction, which is defined as the ratio of the number of cloudy pixels to the total number of cloudy and cloud-free pixels observed by the instrument. Clouds are assigned to height bins based on their top height as retrieved by the MISR stereoscopic technique. Data collection for this product is complete.

The MISR instrument consists of nine pushbroom cameras which measure radiance in four spectral bands. Global coverage is achieved in nine days. The cameras are arranged with one camera pointing toward the nadir, four cameras pointing forward, and four cameras pointing aftward. It takes seven minutes for all nine cameras to view the same surface location. The view angles relative to the surface reference ellipsoid, are 0, 26.1, 45.6, 60.0, and 70.5 degrees. The spectral band shapes are nominally Gaussian, centered at 443, 555, 670, and 865 nm.

MISR itself is an instrument designed to view Earth with cameras pointed in 9 different directions. As the instrument flies overhead, each piece of Earth's surface below is successively imaged by all 9 cameras, in each of 4 wavelengths (blue, green, red, and near-infrared). The goal of MISR is to improve our understanding of the affects of sunlight on Earth, as well as distinguish different types of clouds, particles and surfaces. Specifically, MISR monitors the monthly, seasonal, and long-term trends in three areas: 1) amount and type of atmospheric particles (aerosols), including those formed by natural sources and by human activities; 2) amounts, types, and heights of clouds, and 3) distribution of land surface cover, including vegetation canopy structure.

DOI

10.5067/Terra/MISR/MIL3YCFA_L3.001

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ALGORITHM THEORETICAL BASIS DOCUMENT (ATBD)

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ASDC Terra Spacecraft Loss of Accurate Orbit Data Record

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DATA QUALITY

GENERAL DOCUMENTATION

ASDC Overview of MISR File Naming and Versioning Conventions
Overview of MISR Data at the ASDC, 2023

MICRO ARTICLE

PRODUCT USAGE

PRODUCTION HISTORY

PUBLICATIONS

MISR Peer-Reviewed Publications

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Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer Project Handbook

From GCMD Science Keywords:

CLOUD HEIGHT > CLOUD PROPERTIES
CLOUD FRACTION > CLOUD PROPERTIES
CLOUD PROPERTIES
CLOUD TOP HEIGHT > CLOUD PROPERTIES
CLOUD CEILING > CLOUD PROPERTIES
CLOUDS
CLOUD BASE HEIGHT > CLOUD PROPERTIES

Data Distribution

File Format(s):

HDF-EOS2

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Spatial Information

Spatial Coverage: (S: -90, N: 90), (W: -180, E: 180)
Spatial Coverage Type: Horizontal
Longitude Resolution: 0.5 degree
Latitude Resolution: 0.5 degree
Horizontal Resolution Range: 50 km - < 100 km or approximately .5 degree - < 1 degree
Vertical Resolution Range: 100 meters - < 1 km
Vertical Resolution: 500 m
Coordinate System: Cartesian
Granule Spatial Representation: Cartesian

Locations

GLOBAL LAND

Temporal Information

Temporal Coverage: 1999-12-01 - Present
Temporal Resolution: Yearly

Platforms

Earth Observation Satellites

Terra

Earth Observing System, TERRA (AM-1)

MISR

Multi-Angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer

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Metadata Dates

Created on 2019-07-09

Last updated on 2022-01-28