Cloud base height Measurements Made by Earth Observation Satellites

CEOS EO HANDBOOK – MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS

Measurements > Atmosphere >
Atmospheric Temperature Fields >
Cloud base height

Measurement Definition*: Height of the bottom surface of the cloud - Physical unit: [ km ] - Accuracy unit: [ km ].

Instrument	Status/ Accuracy	Instrument Description	Measurement Technology	Timeline
CALIOP Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization	Operational	Two-wavelength, polarisation lidar capable of providing aerosol and cloud profiles and properties.	n/a
OLCI Ocean and Land Colour Imager	Operational	Marine and land services.	n/a
OLS Operational Linescan System	Operational	Day and night cloud cover imagery.	n/a
VIIRS Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite	Operational	Global observations of land, ocean, and atmosphere parameters: cloud/weather imagery, sea-surface temperature, ocean colour, land surface vegetation indices.	n/a
CPR (EarthCARE) Cloud Profiling Radar (EarthCARE)	Being developed	Measurement of cloud properties, light precipitation, vertical motion.	Cloud and precipitation radar
ATLID ATmospheric LIDar	Approved	Derivation of cloud and aerosol properties - Measurement of molecular and particle backscatter in Rayleigh, co-polar and cross-polar Mie channels.	n/a

* Description adapted from WMO.