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Full catalog/CLDPROP_L2_MODIS_Aqua
CLDPROP_L2_MODIS_Aqua·v1.1·dataset

Cloud properties like thickness and droplet size (Aqua, 1 km)

MODIS/Aqua Cloud Properties 5-min L2 Swath 1km
atmosphere NASA LAADS Level 2 active NetCDF-4
In plain English

What it measures. Describes the physical traits of clouds, such as how thick they are, how high their tops reach, their temperature, whether they're made of ice or water, and the size of their droplets.

How it's made. Derived from the MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite, processed into 5-minute swaths at 1 km resolution using channels chosen to match the newer VIIRS sensors for consistency.

How & where you'd use it. Helps scientists study clouds and their role in weather and climate, and is designed to keep cloud records consistent as instruments change over time.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › CLOUDSATMOSPHERE › CLOUDS › CLOUD PROPERTIESATMOSPHERE › CLOUDS › CLOUD PROPERTIES › CLOUD FRACTIONATMOSPHERE › CLOUDS › CLOUD PROPERTIES › CLOUD FREQUENCYATMOSPHERE › CLOUDS › CLOUD PROPERTIES › CLOUD HEIGHTATMOSPHERE › CLOUDS › CLOUD PROPERTIES › CLOUD TOP HEIGHTATMOSPHERE › CLOUDS › CLOUD PROPERTIES › CLOUD TOP TEMPERATUREATMOSPHERE › CLOUDS › CLOUD RADIATIVE TRANSFER › CLOUD EMISSIVITYSPECTRAL/ENGINEERING › INFRARED WAVELENGTHS › INFRARED RADIANCESPECTRAL/ENGINEERING › INFRARED WAVELENGTHS › REFLECTED INFRAREDSPECTRAL/ENGINEERING › VISIBLE WAVELENGTHS › VISIBLE RADIANCEATMOSPHERE › CLOUDS › CLOUD MICROPHYSICS › CLOUD OPTICAL DEPTH/THICKNESS

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2002-07-04 → ongoing
  • Measured byAqua (MODIS)
  • Processing levelLevel 2
  • FormatsNetCDF-4
  • StatusACTIVE

What you can do with it

  • Map air pollutants — NO₂, aerosols, ozone
  • Track greenhouse gases and Earth's energy budget
  • Feed weather and air-quality analysis
Official description

The MODIS/Aqua Cloud Properties 5-min L2 Swath 1km product is designed to facilitate continuity in cloud properties between the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on the Aqua and Terra platforms and the series of VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instruments, beginning with the Suomi NPP spacecraft. To establish continuity, this MODIS Cloud Properties product does not use algorithms identical to those used in the standard MODIS product (MOD06/MYD06). The product consists of cloud optical and physical parameters derived using observations in visible through infrared spectral channels. MODIS infrared channels that are common with VIIRS are primarily used to derive cloud-top temperature, cloud-top height, effective emissivity, an infrared cloud phase product (ice vs. water, opaque vs. non-opaque), and cloud fraction under both daytime and nighttime conditions. The MODIS solar reflectances channels are primarily used to derive cloud optical thickness, particle effective radius, water path, and to inform the phase used in the optical retrievals. The MODIS Cloud Properties product is a Level-2 product generated at 1 km (at nadir) spatial resolution. The current version-1.1 of the Level-2 CLDPROP product collection is corrected to address an issue with the cloud optical properties’ thermodynamic phase that caused erroneous liquid water cloud phase results.

Get the data

cldprop_l2_modis_aqua_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="CLDPROP_L2_MODIS_Aqua",
    version="1.1",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from LAADS
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.