Abstract
Cloud mask products are essential for the retrieval of aerosol and cloud properties as well as in understanding the impacts of clouds on the Earth's radiation budget and global climate change. This paper evaluates the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud mask products through comparison with four years of ground-based radar data over Beijing. Different data collocation schemes are applied to analyze and thoroughly understand the differences between the MODIS and the radar. Comparison results show that the agreement of cloud mask between the MODIS and radar is 84%. There are 11% comparisons of which the MODIS is cloudy while radar is clear because of their different field of view. It is found that the missed thin clouds by MODIS account for 5% of the disagreement and discrepancies are mostly due to thin clouds.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
