| CEOS EO HANDBOOK – MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS
|
|
Measurements > Atmosphere >
Cloud particle properties and profile >
Cloud ice (column/profile)
  | Measurement Definition*: Vertical profile of atmospheric water in the liquid phase (precipitating or not). Measured in the troposphere (assumed height: 12 km), and as total column - Physical unit: profile [ g/kg ], total column [g/m2] - Accuracy unit: profile [ % ], total column [g/m2]. |
| 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 | |
CPR (CloudSat)
Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) | Operational
+/--2 g-m-3 | Primary goal to provide data needed to evaluate and improve the way clouds are represented in global climate models. Measures vertical profile of clouds. | Cloud and precipitation radar | |
GMI
GPM Microwave Imager | Operational
| Measures rainfall rates over oceans and land, combined rainfall structure and surface rainfall rates with associated latent heating. Used to produce three hour, daily, and monthly total rainfall maps over oceans and land. | Multi-purpose imaging MW radiometer | |
CPR (EarthCARE)
Cloud Profiling Radar (EarthCARE) | Being developed
| Measurement of cloud properties, light precipitation, vertical motion. | Cloud and precipitation radar | |
DMR (INCUS)
Dynamic Microwave Radiometer | Being developed
| Measures microwave radiances simultaneously with radar reflectivity pofiles for tropical convective storms | Multi-purpose imaging MW radiometer | |
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.
|
|