CM SAF ClOud Fractional Cover dataset from METeosat First and Second Generation - Edition 2 (COMET Ed. 2)

This Climate Data Record (CDR) provides cloud fractional cover (CFC) derived from the Meteosat
Visible and InfraRed Imager (MVIRI) on board the Meteosat First Generation (MFG) and the
Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) onboard the Meteosat Second
Generation (MSG) satellites. The covered time period ranges from January 1983 to December
2020. Original thermal radiances were inter-calibrated by the European Organisation for the
Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). The Meteosat CFC is presented as
hourly, daily and monthly composites on a 0.05°x0.05° grid covering the Meteosat disk
(Africa and Europe). The CFC data is derived from two Meteosat heritage channels by use of
an advanced Bayesian retrieval algorithm. It employs continuous cloud scores, which are
built on a contemporaneous clear sky background inversion. The Meteosat CFC is characterized
by comparability to the SYNOP-based long-term CFC observations carried out at WMO ground
stations. The Meteosat CFC is therefore useful to supplement the ground-based CFC estimates
in areas with low station density or high spatio-temporal CFC variability.