What You're Looking At
This page shows the quality and completeness of satellite cloud measurements.
What the graphs show:
- Top left: Average number of daytime satellite observations at each location over 34 years
- Top right: How observation counts varied over time
- Bottom left: Percentage of Earth's surface with valid measurements each month
- Bottom right: Distribution of observation counts across all locations
Key Findings:
- Global coverage is consistently high (typically >95%)
- Polar regions have fewer observations due to limited daylight in winter
- The dataset is remarkably complete and consistent over 34 years
- Multiple observations per location provide statistical reliability
Significance: High data quality and coverage demonstrate that satellite measurements are comprehensive, reliable, and suitable for detecting trends and patterns in cloud properties.
Data Source: NOAA ISCCP D2 Dataset