EPIC Cloud Height

DSCOVR_EPIC_L2_CLOUDHEIGHT_01 visualizes the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) Level 2 Cloud version 03 data product. The image shows Cloud Effective Height (CEH) derived using Oxygen A and B-band pairs from the DSCOVR_EPIC_L2_CLOUD_03 product. The data is shown on an orthographic projection of the Earth, and a color map is used to indicate the altitude of clouds. CEP is derived using the Mixed Lambertian-Equivalent Reflectivity (MLER) model, which assumes an EPIC pixel contains two Lambertian reflectors, the surface and the cloud. This assumption simplifies the radiative transfer equation, and cloud pressure can be retrieved using the oxygen A- and B-band pairs. Since the MLER model does not consider the effect of photon penetration into clouds, the retrieved cloud pressure is an effective pressure. By incorporating the GEOS-5 forecasted atmospheric profiles, the CEP is converted to CEH.