AVHRR SDS and PATMOSx

1
AVHRR Pathfinder Atmospheres Extended (PATMOS-x)

• In 2004, STAR invested in hardware to house and
  reprocess the entire AVHRR GAC record. PATMOS-x
  is one of the STAR AVHRR reprocessing projects.
• PATMOS-x is continuation of the ORA PATMOS
  program in the 1990s. The AVHRR is relevant
  sensor for climate given its long record,
  consistent spectral coverage and improving
  calibration.
• PATMOS-x offers new products at a higher
  resolution from improved data. Where PATMOS only
  offered cloud amount, PATMOS-x provides a full
  suite of cloud properties and selected clear-sky
  products.
• PATMOS-x products were developed to be physically
  consistent with those from EOS/MODIS. We are
  trying to achieve same consistency with
  NPOESS/VIIRS.
• PATMOS-x leverages heavily off of the
  development efforts already funded for real-time
  product generation (i.e. CLAVR-x)
• PATMOS-x speaks directly to the NOAA mission of
  Climate Variability

Example Year to Year Variation in High Cloud
Amount from PATMOS-x
(Andy Heidinger)