Cloud Optical Thickness (1 month - Aqua/MODIS)
About this dataset
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.
ATBD (Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document)
Imagery by Reto Stockli, NASA's Earth Observatory, using 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)