ASTER Cloud Coverage Assessment and Mission Operations Analysis Using Terra/MODIS Cloud Mask Products

Abstract

Since the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument cannot detect clouds accurately for snow-covered or nighttime images due to a lack of spectral bands, Terra/MODIS cloud mask (MOD35) products have been alternatively used in cloud assessment for all ASTER images. In this study, we evaluated ASTER cloud mask images generated from MOD35 products and used them to analyze the mission operations of ASTER. In the evaluation, ASTER cloud mask images from different MOD35 versions (Collections 5, 6, and 6.1) showed a large discrepancy in low- or high-latitude areas, and the rate of ASTER scenes with a high uncertain-pixel rate (≥30%) showed to be 2.2% in daytime and 12.0% in nighttime. In the visual evaluation with ASTER browse images, about 2% of cloud mask images showed some problems such as mislabeling and artifacts. In the mission operations analysis, the cloud avoidance function implemented in the ASTER observation scheduler showed a decrease in the mean cloud coverage (MCC) and an increase in the rate of clear scenes by 10% to 15% in each. Although 19-year-old time-series of MCC in five areas showed weather-related fluctuations such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), they indicated a small percent reduction in MCC by enhancement of the cloud avoidance function in April 2012. The global means of the number of clear ASTER scenes were 15.7 and 6.6 scenes in daytime and nighttime, respectively, and those of the success rate were 33.3% and 40.4% in daytime and nighttime, respectively. These results are expected to contribute not only to the ASTER Project but also to other optical sensor projects.