EarthCARE/MSI L2A MSI one-sensor Cloud Products

EarthCARE/MSI/MSI_CLP dataset is obtained from the Multi-Spectral Imager(MSI) sensor onboard Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) Satellite and produced by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). EarthCARE Satellite carries four observation sensors: the Cloud Profiling Radar(CPR), the Atmospheric Lidar(ATLID), the Multi-Spectral Imager(MSI), and the Broadband Radiometer(BBR). The main purpose of EarthCARE to globally observe the distribution and vertical structure of clouds and aerosols, as well as the radiant energy at the top of the atmosphere. This project aims to contribute to improving the accuracy of climate change prediction by considering the behavior of clouds and aerosols and their impact on the Earth's climate, incorporating the obtained knowledge into numerical climate models, and constraining the large uncertainties in cloud-aerosol-radiation interactions within numerical climate models. EarthCARE Satellite was launched on 28/05/2024(UTC).EarthCARE Satellite can observe a range from approximately 90 degrees south latitude to approximately 90 degrees north latitude, and flies in a sun-synchronous subrecurrent orbit (number of return days: 25 days) at an altitude of approximately 400 km. The resolution of MSI is approximately 500m.In MSI level 2A standard processing, a MSI level 1C products read as input data and a product containing a Discrimination of Cloudy and Clear Sky, Optical Thickness, Effective Particle Radius(1.6μm,2.2μm), Cloud Top Temperature, Cloud Top Pressure, Cloud Top Height, is outputted.The file format is HDF5, but it's compatible with NetCDF4. It is divided into header and science data sections. The sampling resolution is 5km (horizontal) and Swath Width is 150km. The generation unit is 1/8 orbit(1 frame).