Extended Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Polar Pathfinder (APP-x), 1982-Present

The ongoing NOAA Climate Data Record of the extended AVHRR Polar Pathfinder (APP-x) cryosphere is a near real time monitoring of Arctic and Antarctic surface and atmospheric characteristics. They contain 19 geophysical variables over the Arctic and Antarctic for the period 1982 - present. All of them have undergone various degrees of validation, though not all are considered Climate Data Record (CDR) quality. The variables are (those considered by the developers to be CDR-quality are identified with an asterisk): Surface temperature, all-sky, snow, ice, and land* Surface albedo, all-sky* Sea ice thickness* Surface type Cloud mask* Cloud particle thermodynamic phase Cloud optical depth Cloud particle effective radius Cloud temperature Cloud pressure Cloud type Downwelling shortwave radiation at the surface* Downwelling longwave radiation at the surface* Upwelling shortwave radiation at the surface* Upwelling longwave radiation at the surface* Upwelling shortwave radiation at the top of the atmosphere (TOA)* Upwelling longwave radiation at the TOA* Shortwave cloud radiative forcing at the surface.