Statement Concerning Quality of the MISR Ancillary Climatology Product
February 16, 2001
This statement applies to the MISR Ancillary Climatology Product (ACP),
version F02_0002 of the Aerosol Physical and Optical Properties (APOP)
file, and version F02_0003 of the Aerosol Mixture file, installed at
the Langley ASDC prior to February 16, 2001.
The quality of the ACP pure aerosol particle data is dependent upon
the quality of the ACP input data, which were obtained from the
scientific literature. (See the Level 2 Ancillary Products and
Datasets Algorithm Theoretical Basis document for literature
references.) In addition to pure particle data, mixtures of
commonly-occurring aerosol pure particles are reported in the ACP.
Initial quality assessments show that the current list of aerosol
mixtures is insufficient to adequately represent global aerosol
mixtures. The mixture list is expected to improve in quality as
experience with the data is gained. Note that the ACP product consists
of three parts: the Aerosol Physical and Optical Properties (APOP)
file, the Aerosol Mixture file, and the Aerosol Clim-Likely file.
The list below highlights major known problems with the product.
AEROSOL PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES (a.k.a. APOP, MIANACP)
LIMITED SET OF AEROSOL PURE PARTICLES
The aerosol pure particles which are combined to produce aerosol
mixtures represent an initial guess at characterizing
commonly-occurring particles in the atmosphere. An improved set of
pure particles will be utilized in future versions.
AEROSOL MIXTURE FILE (a.k.a. MIANACP)
LIMITED SET OF AEROSOL MIXTURE TYPES
The aerosol mixture types which are reported in the product are
limited in number. This is due to the early maturity level of the
product. Adequate time to study a large suite of aerosol mixture types
has not yet been spent. Once more study has been completed, a more
comprehensive set of aerosol mixtures will be used.
AEROSOL CLIM-LIKELY FILE (a.k.a. MIANACP)
AEROSOL CLIM-LIKELY INFORMATION NOT YET AVAILABLE
Information regarding the climatological-likelihood of the
occurrence of various aerosol types around the globe is not
presently included in the Ancillary Climatological Product (ACP).
