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  2. Essential Climate Variables
  3. Clouds
  4. ECV Products and Requirements for Clouds

ECV Products and Requirements for Cloud Properties

These products and requirements reflect the Implementation Plan 2016 (GCOS-200). GCOS is reviewing and will update the requirements as part of their contribution to the UNFCCC Global Stocktake and the current state of the discussion is reflected on the web page "2022 requirement update".

 

PRODUCT DEFINITION FREQ. RES. REQUIRED MEASUREMENT UNCERTAINTY STABILITY STANDARDS/ REFERENCES
Cloud Amount 2D field of fraction of sky filled by cloud 3hr 50km/NA 0.01-0.05 0.01/ decade ESA CCI CMUG tables (http://www.esa-cmug-cci.org/)
Cloud Top Pressure Pressure of the top of the cloud (highest cloud in the case of multi-layer clouds) 3hr 50km/NA 15-50hPa, 3-15hPa  
Cloud Top Temperature Temperature of the top of the cloud (highest cloud in case of multi-layer clouds) (Km) 3hr 50km/NA 1-5K; 0.25K/ decade  
Cloud Optical Depth Effective depth of a cloud from the viewpoint of radiation extinction. OD = exp(-K.?z) where K is the extinction coefficient [km-1 ] and ?z the vertical path [km] between the base and the top of the cloud and the reference wavelength to be specified in the metadata. (dimensionless) 3hr 50km/NA 10%, 2%  
Cloud Water Path(liquid an ice) 2D Field of atmospheric water in the liquid/solid phase, integrated over the total column (g/m2) 3hr 50km/NA 25%; 5%  
C, effective particle radius (liquid + ice) Ratio of integral of water droplets size distribution in volume divided by integral in area (µm) 3hr 50km/NA 1µm; 1µm/ decade  

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