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Monthly (COSP)

Product Description



A new L3 Monthly COSP Cloud product (MCD06COSP) is now available.  This product combines MODIS Terra (MOD06_L2) and MODIS Aqua (MYD06_L2)  cloud mask, cloud top, and cloud optical retrieval data over daily and monthly timeframes, providing a set of custom cloud-related parameters, using specific dataset definitions, for better comparison with climate model output.  This new dataset is provided in the Network Common Data Format Version 4 (NetCDF4) -- a  data format widely used by the climate modeling community.

There are two L3 COSP Cloud products derived by combining two instrument / platform data streams (L2 MODIS Terra MOD06_L2 & L2 MODIS Aqua MYD06_L2) at two temporal timeframes (daily & monthly).  L3 Daily COSP products are tagged D3, which is short for L3 Daily.  L3 Monthly COSP products are tagged M3, which is short for L3 Monthly.  That being said it's the Monthly (M3) COSP that will be primarily used by climate scientists and modelers.

The acronym MCD06COSP (used at the beginning of the L3 COSP filename) is a combination of the inputs to the product MOD06 + MYD06; and the output format COSP.  To simplify the first part of the acronym, the letter C (that stands for combined platform) was substituted for the O (Terra platform) or A (Aqua platform) in the 2nd character position. 

Shown below is a sample Cloud Mask Fraction image (combined Terra MODIS and Aqua MODIS) from the Monthly COSP product for July 2002.