The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Cloud Properties - NASA Climate Data Record (CDR) identifies global cloud cover and cloud macro and microphysical properties throughout the entire AVHRR Cloud Properties data record, which extends from 1978–2016 and provides data at the highest spatial resolution of any existing cloud climatology. It is generated using the adapted AVHRR Cloud Properties versions of algorithms that were initially developed to generate visualizations for the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite instruments within NASA Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) program.
This CDR also addresses AVHRR sensor noise and errant navigation and AVHRR shortwave channel calibration references to Aqua MODIS. Daytime and nighttime cloud properties offer advantages over many other climatologies that are daytime-only. Nearly all of the CDR products have been validated using NASA A-Train observations, a technique that many other global climatologies do not employ. This data can be used to track temporal trends in global cloud cover and properties, which can help decision makers in the energy sector determine the viability of wind, solar, and other alternative energy solutions.
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