Cloud Optical Thickness (1 month - Aqua/MODIS)

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About this dataset

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More than just the idle stuff of daydreams, clouds help control the flow of light and heat around our world. Because there are so many clouds spread over such large areas of Earth, they are a very important part of our world's climate system. Clouds have the ability to cool our planet, or they can help to warm it. Because there are so many different kinds of clouds, and because they move and change so fast, they are hard to understand and even harder to predict. Scientists want to know how much sunlight clouds reflect and how much sunlight passes through clouds to reach Earth's surface. By measuring how much sunlight gets scattered by clouds back up into space, scientists can better understand how much clouds influence Earth's climate.

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November 2023

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Related Websites

MODIS Atmospheres Science Team

Earthdata on MODIS

MODIS

Aqua

ATBD (Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document)

Cloud Retrieval Algorithms for MODIS: Optical Thickness, Effective Particle Radius, and Thermodynamic Phase

Credits

Imagery produced by the NASA Earth Observations team based on data provided by the MODIS Atmosphere Science Team, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Federal Geographic Data Committee Geospatial Metadata

View the FGDC Metatdata for Cloud Optical Thickness (1 month - Aqua/MODIS)

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