Cloud Properties Derived From GOES-7 for Spring 1994 ARM Intensive Observing Period Using Version 1.0.0 of ARM Satellite Data Analysis Program

provided assistance in the development of the analysis software and data verification. Summary This document describes the initial formulation (Version 1.0.0) of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program satellite data analysis procedures. Techniques are presented for calibrating geostationary satellite data with Sun synchronous satellite radiances and for converting narrowband radiances to top-of-the-atmosphere fluxes and albedos. A methodology is documented for combining geostationary visible and infrared radiances with surface-based temperature observations to derive cloud amount, optical depth, height, thickness, temperature, and albedo. The analysis is limited to two grids centered over the ARM Southern Great Plains Central Facility in northcentral Oklahoma. Daytime data taken April 5 to May 1, 1994 were analyzed on the 0.3° and 0.5° latitude-longitude grids that cover areas of 0.9° × 0.9° and 10° × 14°, respectively. A variety of cloud conditions ranging from scattered low cumulus to thin cirrus and thick cumulonimbus occurred during the study period. Detailed comparisons with hourly surface observations indicate that the mean cloudiness is within a few percent of the surface-derived sky cover. Formats of the results are also provided. The data can be accessed on the Internet via the World Wide Web at the following uniform resource locator: