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].
InstrumentStatus/
Accuracy
Instrument DescriptionMeasurement TechnologyTimeline
CALIOP
Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization
Operational
Two-wavelength, polarisation lidar capable of providing aerosol and cloud profiles and properties.n/a
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 stormsMulti-purpose imaging MW radiometer
HARP2
Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter
Being developed
Polarimeter for measuring aerosol optical properties, clouds and aerosol types.n/a
ICI
Ice Cloud Imager
Being developed
+/-50 %
Measures ice cloud properties (ice water path, mean ice mass height, mean ice particle size by mass), liquid/solid precipitation information, and water vapour profilesMulti-purpose imaging MW radiometer
METimage
Multi Spectral Imager
Being developed
Operational multi spectral imager for meteorological EPS-SG VIS/IR Imaging Mission (VII): imagery data for global and regional NWP, NWC, and climate monitoring with information on LST, SST, clouds coverage and micro-physics, land surfaces (vegetation, snow/ice, fire), aerosol and atmospheric motion vectors. Provides collocated cloud mask & characterisation as well as intra-pixel heterogeneity to other EPS-SG missions (with larger footprint).Multi-purpose imaging Vis/IR 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.