ISCCP Project Documents

• A series of four articles about the project that appeared in the Bulletin of the Americal Meteorological Society.

  Schiffer, R.A., and Rossow, W.B., 1983: The International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP): The First Project of the World Climate Research Programme. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 64, 779-784. Read abstract and download PDF document (6pp).

  Schiffer, R.A., and Rossow, W.B., 1985: ISCCP Global Radiance Data Set: A New Resource for Climate Research. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 66, 1498-1505. Read abstract and download PDF document (9pp).

  Rossow, W.B., and Schiffer, R.A., 1991: ISCCP Cloud Data Products. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 71, 2-20. Read abstract and download document (20pp).

  Rossow, W.B., and Schiffer, R.A., 1999: Advances in Understanding Clouds from ISCCP. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 80, 2261-2288. Read abstract and download document (27pp).

• B3 Radiance Data Documentation (See the Table of Contents to download document by parts in PDF format.)

Rossow, W.B., A. Walker, and M. Roiter, 1996 revision: International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Description of Reduced Resolution Radiance Data. WMO/TD-No. 58. World Meteorological Organization, 163 pp. Download document 787 Kbytes Encapsulated PostScript (UNIX gzip) and Addendum to document. NOTE: Mistakes in the document discovered post-publication are corrected by errata pages which are available as PostScript replacement pages.

Rossow, W.B., E. Kinsella, A. Wolf, and L. Garder, 1987 revision: International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Description of Reduced Resolution Radiance Data. WMO/TD-No. 58. World Meteorological Organization, 150 pp. Download document 934 Kbytes Encapsulated PostScript (UNIX gzip).

• Calibration Documentation (See the Table of Contents to download document by parts in PDF format.)

Rossow, W.B., C.L. Brest, and M. Roiter, 1996: International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Update of Radiance Calibrations. WMO/TD.-No. 736. World Meteorological Organization. Read abstract and download PDF document (79 pages).

Desormeaux, Y., W.B. Rossow, C.L. Brest, and C.G. Campbell, 1993: Normalization and calibration of geostationary satellite radiances for ISCCP. J. Atmos. Ocean Tech., 10, 304-325. Read abstract and download PDF document (22 pages).

Rossow, W.B., Y. Desormeaux, C.L. Brest, and A.W. Walker, 1992: International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Radiance Calibration Report. WMO/TD-No. 520, WCRP-77, World Meteorological Organization. Read abstract and download document 403 Kbytes PostScript(104 pages) and Addendum to document. NOTE: Mistakes in the document discovered post-publication are corrected by errata pages which are available as PostScript replacement pages.

Brest, C.L., and W.B. Rossow, 1992: Radiometric calibration and monitoring of NOAA AVHRR data for ISCCP. Int. J. Remote Sens., 13, 235-273. Read abstract and download PDF document

Brest, C.L., W.B. Rossow, and M. Roiter, 1997: Update of Radiance Calibrations for ISCCP J. Atmos. Ocean Tech., 14, 1091-1109. Read abstract and download PDF document (19 pages).

• C1/C2 Cloud Data Documentation

  Rossow, W.B., L.C. Garder, P.J. Lu, and A.W. Walker, 1991: International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Documentation of Cloud Data. WMO/TD-No. 266, World Meteorological Organization, 76 pp. plus appendices. Download Main Document 500 Kbytes PostScript (76 pages) UNIX gzip. Download Appendix A (TOVS) PDF file (10 pages). Download Appendix B (Snow/Ice) 300 Kbytes PostScript (20 pages) UNIX gzip. Download Appendix C (C2) 200 Kbytes PostScript (29 pages) UNIX gzip.

• DX/D1/D2 New Cloud Data Documentation (See the Table of Contents to download document by parts in PDF format.)

Rossow, W.B., A.W. Walker, D.E. Beuschel, and M.D. Roiter, 1996: International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Documentation of New Cloud Datasets. WMO/TD-No. 737, World Meteorological Organization, 115 pp. Download Document PDF. NOTE: Mistakes in the document discovered post-publication are corrected by errata pages which are available as PostScript replacement pages.

• Cloud Detection Algorithm Documentation

Rossow, W.B., F. Mosher, E. Kinsella, A. Arking, M. Desbois, E. Harrison, P. Minnis, E. Ruprecht, G. Seze, C. Simmer and E. Smith, 1985: ISCCP cloud algorithm intercomparison. J. Climate Appl. Meteor., 24, 877-903.

Rossow, W.B., L.C. Garder and A.A. Lacis, 1989: Global, seasonal cloud variations from satellite radiance measurements. Part I: Sensitivity of analysis. J. Climate, 2, 419-462.

Rossow, W.B., and L.C. Garder, 1993a: Cloud detection using satellite measurements of infrared and visible radiances for ISCCP. J. Climate, 6, 2341-2369. Read abstract.

Rossow, W.B., and L.C. Garder, 1993b: Validation of ISCCP cloud detections. J. Climate, 6, 2370-2393. Read abstract.

Rossow, W.B., A.W. Walker, and L.C. Garder, 1993: Comparison of ISCCP and other cloud amounts. J. Climate, 6, 2394-2418. Read abstract.

• Cloud Property Retrieval Documentation

Rossow, W.B., 1989: Measuring cloud properties from space: A review. J. Climate, 2,201-213. Read abstract.

Rossow, W.B., and A.A. Lacis, 1990: Global, seasonal cloud variations from satellite radiance measurements. Part II: Cloud properties and radiative effects. J. Climate, 3, 1204-1253.

Seze, G., and W.B. Rossow, 1991b: Effects of satellite data resolution on measuring the space-time variations of surfaces and clouds. Int. J. Remote Sensing, 12, 921-952.

Han, Q.-Y., W.B. Rossow, and A.A. Lacis, 1994: Near-global survey of effective cloud droplet radii in liquid water clouds using ISCCP data. J. Climate, 7, 465-497.

Lin, B., and W.B. Rossow, 1994: Observations of cloud liquid water path over oceans - optical and microwave remote sensing methods. J. Geophys. Res., 99, 20,907-20,927.

Han, Q., W.B. Rossow, R. Welch, A. White and J. Chou, 1995: Validation of satellite retrievals of cloud microphysics and liquid water path using observations from FIRE. J. Atmos. Sci., 52, 4183-4195.

Liao, X., D. Rind, and W.B. Rossow, 1995a: Comparison between SAGE II and ISCCP high-level clouds, Part I: Global and zonal mean cloud amounts. J. Geophys. Res., 100, 1121-1135.

Liao, X., D. Rind, and W.B. Rossow, 1995b: Comparison between SAGE II and ISCCP high-level clouds, Part II: Locating cloud tops. J. Geophys. Res., 100, 1137-1147.

Rossow, W.B., B. Cairns, 1995: Monitoring changes of clouds. Clim. Change. 31, 305-347.

Wang, J., and W.B. Rossow, 1995: Determination of cloud vertical structure from upper air observations. J. Appl. Meteor., 34, 2243-2258.

Jin, Y., W.B. Rossow, and D.P. Wylie, 1996: Comparison of the climatologies of high-level clouds from HIRS and ISCCP. J. Climate., 9, 2850-2879.

Lin, B., and W.B. Rossow, 1996: Seasonal variation of liquid and ice water path in nonprecipitating clouds over oceans. J. Climate, 9, 2890-2902.

Mishchenko, M.I., W.B. Rossow, A. Macke, and A. Lacis, 1996: Sensitivity of cirrus cloud albedo, bidirectional reflectance and optical thickness retrieval accuracy to ice particle shape. J. Geophys. Res., 101, 16973-16985.

Jin, Y., and W.B. Rossow, 1997: Detection of cirrus overlapping low-level clouds. J. Geophys. Res. 102, 1727-1737.

Lin, B., B. Wielicki, P. Minnis, and W. Rossow, 1998: Estimation of water cloud properties from satellite microwave, infrared and visible measurements in oceanic environments: 1. Microwave brightness temperature simulations. J. Geophys. Res. 103, 3873-3886.

Han, Q., W.B. Rossow, J. Chou, K.-S. Huo, and R.M. Welch, 1999: The effects of aspect ratio and surface roughness on satellite retrievals of ice-cloud properties. J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer. 63, 559-583.

Prigent, C., and W.R. Rossow, 1999: Retrieval of surface and atmospheric parameters over land from SSM/I: Potential and limitations. Q. J. Royal Meteor. Soc. 125, 2379-2400.

Stubenrauch, C.J., W.B. Rossow, F. Cheruy, A. Chédin, and N.A. Scott, 1999: Clouds as seen by satellite sounders (3I) and imagers (ISCCP). Part I. Evaluation of cloud parameters. J. Climate, 12, 2189-2213.

Stubenrauch, C.J., W.B. Rossow, N.A. Scott, and A. Chédin, 1999: Clouds as seen by satellite sounders (3I) and imagers (ISCCP). Part III: Spatial heterogeneity and radiative effects. J. Climate, 12, 3419-3442.

Wang, J., W.B. Rossow, T. Uttal, and M. Rozendaal, 1999: Variability of cloud vertical structure during ASTEX observed from a combination of rawinsonde, radar, ceilometer, and satellite. M. Weather Rev. 127, 2484-2502.

Wang, J., W.B. Rossow, and Y. Zhang, 2000: Cloud vertical structure and its variations from a 20-year global rawinsonde dataset. J. Climate, 13, 3041-3056.

Aires, F., C. Prigent, W.B. Rossow, and M. Rothstein, 2001: A new neural network approach including first-guess for retrieval of atmospheric water vapor, cloud liquid water path, surface temperature and emissivities over land from satellite microwave observations. J. Geophys. Res. 106, 14887-14907.

Prigent, C., J.R. Pardo, M.I. Mishchenko, and W.B. Rossow, 2001: Microwave polarized scattering signatures in clouds: Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) observations interpreted with radiative transfer simulations. J. Geophys. Res. 106, 28243-28258.

Luo, Z., W.B. Rossow, T. Inoue, and C.J. Stubenrauch, 2002: Did the eruption of the Mt. Pinatubo volcano affect cirrus properties? J. Climate 15, 2806-2820.

Rossow, W.B., C. Delo, and B. Cairns, 2002: Implications of the observed mesoscale variations of clouds for the Earth's radiation budget. J. Climate, 15, 557-585. Read abstract and download PDF document.

• Workshop Reports

  Report on the International Workshop on Research Uses of ISCCP Datasets that was held at NASA/GISS on 15-18 April 1996. Download document 97 Kbytes PostScript, 8 pp.

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ISCCP On-Line Datasets | Data Product Documentation