Introduction of the CALIOP Level 3 3-dimensional Cloud Occurrence Product

Lidar can provide an improved understanding of the spatial and temporal distributions of clouds on a global scale due to its high vertical resolution and ability to observe multi-layer clouds. Since launch in 2006, the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) flying onboard the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) spacecraft and has now acquired more than a decade of global cloud observations. This presentation will introduce the scientific parameters and algorithms used to develop a new CALIOP level 3 (L3) 3-dimensional (3D) cloud occurrence product. This product is based on the recently released CALIOP Version 4 Level 2 merged layered product which features numerous improvements in the algorithms that derive the spatial and optical properties of clouds. A unique aspect of the CALIOP Level 3 product is a strategy of reporting gridded statistics, allowing the user to aggregate them in different ways. The clouds statistics are partitioned by their thermal and optical properties, e.g., water vs. ice clouds and opaque vs. transparent clouds. For ice clouds, it also provides cloud occurrence counts in 7 optical depth (OD) ranges, providing the flexibility to choose ice clouds with a desired OD range. To demonstrate the use of this new product, we will characterize annual and seasonal cloud occurrence variability and compare our results to those from other data products such as ISCCP, MODIS, and the previously released GCM Oriented CALIPSO Cloud Product (GOCCP). Suggestions and comments are welcome to help improve this climatology product to better serve the cloud community.