CERES MODIS Cloud Retrievals in ISCCP-D2like Format Nighttime Aqua FM4 Edition3A

CER_ISCCP-D2like-Nit_Aqua-FM4-MODIS_Edition3A is the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Cloud Retrievals in International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP)-Day 2 like Format Nighttime Aqua FM4 Edition 3A data product, which was collected using the CERES-FM4 and MODIS instruments on the Aqua platform. Data collection for this product is complete.

The Monthly Gridded Cloud Averages (ISCCP-D2like-Day) data product contains monthly and monthly 3-hourly (GMT-based) gridded regional mean CERES MODIS-derived cloud properties as a function of 18 cloud types, similar to the ISCCP D2 product, where the cloud properties are stratified by pressure, optical depth, and phase. There are separate daytime and nighttime data sets for both Terra-MODIS and Aqua-MODIS. The retrievals, and therefore the quality, are different for each data set. The CERES MODIS-derived cloud properties are not the official NASA MODIS cloud retrievals but are based on the CERES cloud working group retrievals, also available in other CERES products. The CERES MODIS-derived cloud properties have coverage from pole to pole. For these MODIS-based ISCCP-D2like products, the cloud fractions for 42 cloud types, similar to the ISCCP D1 product, are also available. The Single Scanner Footprint TOA/Surface Fluxes and Clouds (SSF) data product is the input to this product. Each ISCCP-D2like file covers a single month.

CERES is a key Earth Observing System (EOS) program component. The CERES instruments provide radiometric measurements of the Earth's atmosphere from three broadband channels. The CERES missions follow the successful Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) mission. The first CERES instrument, the protoflight model (PFM), was launched on November 27, 1997, as part of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). Two CERES instruments (FM1 and FM2) were launched into polar orbit on the Earth Observing System (EOS) flagship Terra on December 18, 1999. Two additional CERES instruments (FM3 and FM4) were launched on board Earth Observing System (EOS) Aqua on May 4, 2002. The CERES FM5 instrument was launched on board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite on October 28, 2011. The newest CERES instrument (FM6) was launched on board the Joint Polar-Orbiting Satellite System 1 (JPSS-1) satellite, now called NOAA-20, on November 18, 2017.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field	Value
Maintainer	Earthdata Forum
Last Updated	June 23, 2026, 02:33 (UTC)
Created	June 8, 2026, 23:59 (UTC)
accessLevel	public
bureauCode	{026:00}
catalog_conformsTo	https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
harvest_object_id	c45c612b-4803-4ade-a160-e16b5af17675
harvest_source_id	b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title	Science Discovery Engine
identifier	10.5067/AQUA/CERES/ISCCP-D2LIKE-NIT_AQUA_FM4_L3.003A
license	https://www.usa.gov/government-works
modified	2026-06-15T22:16:02Z
programCode	{026:000}
publisher	NASA/LARC/SD/ASDC
resource-type	Dataset
source_datajson_identifier	true
source_hash	4b795b10d8888985675d734cae23158027533808afc0a93d2a20af79e9d426db
source_schema_version	1.1
spatial	["CARTESIAN", [{"Boundary": {"Points": [{"Latitude": -90, "Longitude": -180}, {"Latitude": -90, "Longitude": 180}, {"Latitude": 90, "Longitude": 180}, {"Latitude": 90, "Longitude": -180}, {"Latitude": -90, "Longitude": -180}]}}]]
temporal	2002-07-01/2005-03-31
theme	{"Earth Science"}