Digital Object Identifier
Entry information for CLARA_AVHRR_V003
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Title
CLARA-A3: CM SAF cLoud, Albedo and surface RAdiation dataset from AVHRR data - Edition 3
Citation
Karlsson, Karl-Göran; Riihelä, Aku; Trentmann, Jörg; Stengel, Martin; Solodovnik, Irina; Meirink, Jan Fokke; Devasthale, Abhay; Jääskeläinen, Emmihenna; Kallio-Myers, Viivi; Eliasson, Salomon; Benas, Nikos; Johansson, Erik; Stein, Diana; Finkensieper, Stephan; Håkansson, Nina; Akkermans, Tom; Clerbaux, Nicolas; Selbach, Nathalie; Schröder, Marc; Hollmann, Rainer (2023): CLARA-A3: CM SAF cLoud, Albedo and surface RAdiation dataset from AVHRR data - Edition 3, Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring, DOI:10.5676/EUM_SAF_CM/CLARA_AVHRR/V003, https://doi.org/10.5676/EUM_SAF_CM/CLARA_AVHRR/V003. [BibTeX entry]
Publisher
Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF)
Publication year
2023
Author(s)
Karlsson, Karl-Göran; Riihelä, Aku; Trentmann, Jörg; Stengel, Martin; Solodovnik, Irina; Meirink, Jan Fokke; Devasthale, Abhay; Jääskeläinen, Emmihenna; Kallio-Myers, Viivi; Eliasson, Salomon; Benas, Nikos; Johansson, Erik; Stein, Diana; Finkensieper, Stephan; Håkansson, Nina; Akkermans, Tom; Clerbaux, Nicolas; Selbach, Nathalie; Schröder, Marc; Hollmann, Rainer
Description
The CLARA-A3 record provides cloud properties and radiation parameters derived from the AVHRR sensor onboard polar orbiting NOAA and METOP satellites. CLARA-A3 is the latest edition of CLARA with previous editions documented in Karlsson et al. (2013) and Karlsson et al. (2017). CLARA-A3 covers the time period 1979/01/01 until 2020/12/31 as climate data record (CDR), but is operationally extended as interim climate data record (ICDR) to the present with a latency of 10 days. The AVHRR measurement input to the CLARA-A3 retrieval algorithms is the EUMETSAT PyGAC AVHRR Fundamental Data Record (FDR) Release 1 (DOI:10.15770/EUM_SEC_CLM_0060). CLARA-A3 features a range of cloud products: cloud mask, cloud top temperature/pressure/height, cloud thermodynamic phase, and (for liquid and ice clouds separately) cloud optical thickness, particle effective radius and cloud water path. Additionally, cloud droplet number concentration and cloud geometrical thickness are provided for liquid clouds. Furthermore, a range of radiation products are included in CLARA-A3: surface black-sky, white-sky and blue-sky albedo; surface downwelling short- and longwave radiation as well as surface net radiation; top-of-atmosphere (TOA) upwelling short- and longwave radiation. Cloud products are available as monthly and daily averages and histograms, as well as daily resampled global products (Level 2b) for individual satellites. Surface albedo is presented as monthly and pentad (5 day) averages. Surface and TOA radiation products are provided as daily and monthly averages. All averages are available on a 0.25° x 0.25° global grid. Surface albedo and selected cloud products are also provided on two equal area grids with a resolution of 25 km x 25 km covering the polar regions. Daily resampled cloud products (level 2b) are provided in a global grid with a resolution of 0.05°x0.05°. CLARA-A3 features a comprehensive set of documentation including User Manuals, Validation Reports and Algorithms Theoretical Baseline Documents (see links below).
Format
NetCDF-4
Version
3.0
Temporal coverage
1979-01-01 - present
Geographic coverage
Latitude: -90.0° S to 90.0° N
Longitude: -180.0° W to 180.0° E
Size
24 TiB
Documentation
- Product User Manual (PUM), CLARA-A3 Cloud Products
- Product User Manual (PUM), CLARA-A3 Top-of-Atmosphere Radiation
- Product User Manual (PUM), CLARA-A3 Surface Radiation
- Product User Manual (PUM), CLARA-A3 Surface Black-sky, White-sky and Blue-sky Albedo
- Validation Report (VAL), CLARA-A3 Cloud Products
- Validation Report (VAL), CLARA-A3 Top-of-Atmosphere Radiation
- Validation Report (VAL), CLARA-A3 Surface Radiation
- Validation Report (VAL), CLARA-A3 Surface Black-sky, White-sky and Blue-sky Albedo
- Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD), CLARA-A3 Cloud Products (level-1 to level-3)
- Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD), CLARA-A3 Top-of-Atmosphere Radiation
- Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD), CLARA-A3 Surface Radiation
- Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD), CLARA-A3 Surface Black-sky, White-sky and Blue-sky Albedo
- Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document from NWC SAF for the Cloud Probability of the NWC/PPS, Issue 2.0
- Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document from NWC SAF for Cloud Top Temperature, Pressure and Height of the NWC/PPS, Issue 3.0
- Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document from NWC SAF for Cloud Micro Physics of the, Issue 3.0
- Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document from NWC SAF for the Cloud Mask of the NWC/PPS, Issue 3.0
Related publications
- Riihelä, A., Jääskeläinen, E., Kallio-Myers, V. (2024): Four decades of global surface albedo estimates in the third edition of the CM SAF cLoud, Albedo and surface Radiation (CLARA) climate data record, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1007-1028, DOI:10.5194/essd-16-1007-2024
- Karlsson, K.-G., Stengel, M., Meirink, J. F., Riihelä, A., Trentmann, J., Akkermans, T., Stein, D., Devasthale, A., Eliasson, S., Johansson, E., Håkansson, N., Solodovnik, I., Benas, N., Clerbaux, N., Selbach, N., Schröder, M., Hollmann, R. (2023): CLARA-A3: The third edition of the AVHRR-based CM SAF climate data record on clouds, radiation and surface albedo covering the period 1979 to 2023, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 4901–4926, DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4901-2023
- Karlsson, K.-G., Devasthale, A., Eliasson, S. (2023): Global Cloudiness and Cloud Top Information from AVHRR in the 42-Year CLARA-A3 Climate Data Record Covering the Period 1979–2020. Remote Sens.,15, 3044, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15123044
- Akkermans, T., Clerbaux, N. (2023): Validation of the CLARA-A3 Top-of-Atmosphere Radiative Fluxes Climate Data Record. J Atmos Ocean Technol., 40(11), 1523-1539. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-23-0065.1
- Karlsson, K.-G., Anttila, K., Trentmann, J., Stengel, M., Meirink, J. F., Devasthale, A., Hanschmann, T., Kothe, S., Jääskeläinen, E., Sedlar, J., Benas, N., van Zadelhoff, G.-J., Schlundt, C., Stein, D., Finkensieper, S., Håkansson, N., and Hollmann, R. (2017): CLARA-A2: the second edition of the CM SAF cloud and radiation data record from 34 years of global AVHRR data, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 5809-5828, doi:10.5194/acp-17-5809-2017
- Karlsson, K.-G., Riihelä, A., Müller, R., Meirink, J. F., Sedlar, J., Stengel, M., Lockhoff, M., Trentmann, J., Kaspar, F., Hollmann, R., and Wolters, E. (2013): CLARA-A1: a cloud, albedo, and radiation dataset from 28 yr of global AVHRR data, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 5351-5367, doi:10.5194/acp-13-5351-2013
- Heidinger, A.K., Straka III, W.C., Molling, C.C., Sullivan, J.T. and Wu, X. (2010): Deriving an inter-sensor consistent calibration for the AVHRR solar reflectance data record, Int. J. Rem. Sens., 31, 6493-6517
Auxiliary data
- CLARA-3 Auxiliary Data User Guide
- Auxiliary data for global Level 2b products
- Auxiliary data for global Level 3 products (0.25 degree)
- Auxiliary data for global Level 3 products (1.00 degree)
- Auxiliary data for Level 3 cloud products in Northern Polar Region
- Auxiliary data for Level 3 cloud products in Southern Polar Region
- Auxiliary data for Level 3 surface albedo in Northern Polar Region
- Auxiliary data for Level 3 surface albedo in Southern Polar Region
Related Data Records
- A previous version of this data record is available from here: DOI:10.5676/EUM_SAF_CM/CLARA_AVHRR/V001.
- A previous version of this data record is available from here: DOI:10.5676/EUM_SAF_CM/CLARA_AVHRR/V002_01.
Comment
The record size refers to the CDR part of the data record (1979-01 until 2020-12).
Data record details and ordering
Products from Polar Orbiting Satellites (LEO)
Cloud phase (CPH)
Cloud top parameters CTT, CTP and CTH (CTO)
- Monthly mean (Southern Polar Region),
- Monthly histogram (Global),
- Monthly mean (Northern Polar Region),
- Monthly mean (Global),
- Daily mean (Northern Polar Region),
- Daily mean (Global),
- Daily mean (Southern Polar Region)
Cloud water path (CWP)
Fractional cloud cover (CFC)
- Monthly mean (Southern Polar Region),
- Monthly mean (Global),
- Monthly mean (Northern Polar Region),
- Daily mean (Southern Polar Region),
- Daily mean (Northern Polar Region),
- Daily mean (Global)
Ice water path (IWP)
Joint cloud property histograms (JCH)
Liquid water path (LWP)
Surface albedo (SAL)
- Pentad mean (Northern Polar Region),
- Pentad mean (Global),
- Pentad mean (Southern Polar Region),
- Monthly mean (Northern Polar Region),
- Monthly mean (Global),
- Monthly mean (Southern Polar Region)