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DOI Reference

MODIS Atmosphere L2 Cloud Product 

Data Object Identifier System

Dataset Short Name:
MOD06_L2 (Terra Platform)
MYD06_L2 (Aqua Platform)

Dataset Long Name:
MODIS/Terra Level-2 (L2) Cloud Product
MODIS/Aqua Level-2 (L2) Cloud Product
(Swath, 1km and 5km Resolution)
(5 minute time-period HDF files)

Platform:
Terra  (Day Overpass: ~1030 LST, Descending Node, Equator ... Night Overpass: ~2230 LST, Ascending Node, Equator)
Aqua  (Day Overpass: ~1330 LST, Ascending Node, Equator ... Night Overpass: ~0130 LST, Descending Node, Equator)

Instrument:
MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)

Product Description:
The Level-2 MODIS cloud product consists of cloud optical and physical parameters. These parameters are derived using remotely sensed infrared visible and near infrared solar reflected radiances. MODIS infrared channel radiances are used to derive cloud top temperature cloud top height effective emissivity cloud phase ice vs. water opaque vs. nonopaque and cloud fraction under both daytime and nighttime conditions. MODIS visible radiances are used to derive cloud optical thickness and effective particle radius and cloud shadow effects. Near infrared solar reflected radiance provides additional information in the retrieval of cloud particle phase ice vs. water clouds vs. snow. The shortname for this level2 MODIS cloud product is MYD06_L2. The MYD06_L2 consists of parameters at a spatial resolution of either 1 km or 5km at nadir. Each MYD06_L2 product file covers a five-minute time interval. This means that for 5km resolution parameters the output grid is 270 pixels in width by 406 pixels in length. Every tenth granule has an output grid size of 270 by 408 pixels. For 1km resolution parameters the output grid is 1354 pixels in width by 2030 pixels in length and every tenth granule has an output grid size of 1354 by 2040 pixels. MYD06_L2 product files are stored in Hierarchical Data Format (HDF). All gridded cloud parameters are stored as Scientific Data Sets (SDS) within the file except two band numbers and statistics. These are stored as Vdata table arrays. Approximately 288 HDF files are produced daily. Nighttime files are smaller than their daytime counterparts since only cloud top properties are retrieved at night. The MODIS Cloud Product will be used to investigate seasonal and interannual changes in cirrus semitransparent global cloud cover and cloud phase with multispectral observations at high spatial 1 kilometer resolution. .

Production Frequency:
288 files per day

Spatial Coverage:
Global

Spatial Resolution:
1x1 km & 5x5 km at nadir

File Size:
160 MB (maximum)

Related Links:
https://atmosphere-imager.gsfc.nasa.gov/products/cloud
(MODIS Atmosphere Cloud Product site)

Data Authors:
Cloud Optical Properties: Steve Platnick, Michael King, & Gala Wind
Cloud Top Properties: Steve Ackerman, Paul Menzel, Bryan Baum, & Rich Frey

Dataset Originator/Creator:
MODIS Atmosphere Science Team / Cloud Optical Properties Retrieval Group
MODIS Atmosphere Science Team / Cloud Top Properties Retrieval Group
MODIS Adaptive Processing System (MODAPS)

 

When Using Collection 6.0 Data:   Collection 006 (C6)

To determine the Collection version of the data you used or are using, look at the HDF filename. If there is a ".006." field in the HDF filename, then it's Collection 6.0 data.

Dataset DOI:   (Data Object Identifier)
dx.doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD06_L2.006 (Terra)
dx.doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MYD06_L2.006 (Aqua)

Citation:

(We kindly request that you cite the use of any Collection 6.0 MODIS Cloud data in a publication using the following wording)

Platnick, S., S. Ackerman, M. King, G. Wind, K. Meyer, P. Menzel, R. Frey, R. Holz, B. Baum, and P. Yang, 2015. MODIS atmosphere L2 cloud product (06_L2), NASA MODIS Adaptive Processing System, Goddard Space Flight Center, [doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD06_L2.006; doi:10.5067/MODIS/MYD06_L2.006]

 

When Using Collection 6.1 Data:   Collection 061 (C61)

To determine the Collection version of the data you used or are using, look at the HDF filename. If there is a ".061." field in the HDF filename, then it's Collection 6.1 data. 

Dataset DOI:   (Data Object Identifier)
dx.doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD06_L2.061 (Terra)
dx.doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MYD06_L2.061 (Aqua)

Citation:

(We kindly request that you cite the use of any Collection 6.1 MODIS Cloud data in a publication using the following wording)

Platnick, S., S. Ackerman, M. King, G. Wind, K. Meyer, P. Menzel, R. Frey, R. Holz, B. Baum, and P. Yang, 2017. MODIS atmosphere L2 cloud product (06_L2), NASA MODIS Adaptive Processing System, Goddard Space Flight Center, [doi:10.5067/MODIS/MOD06_L2.061; doi:10.5067/MODIS/MYD06_L2.061]

 

Note the DOI (Data Object Identifier) system was not used previous to Collection 6.0 (006).