Table 1.
Climate data sources, including satellite sensors and gridded datasets
| Sensor/ dataset |
Satellite/ source |
Spatial resolution |
Temporal resolution |
Dates | Metrics | Acronym | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-resolution sensors | |||||||
| TM | Landsat 5 (USGS, NASA) |
120 m (TIRS)—LST 30 m (VNIR)—NDVI |
16 days | 1984–2013 | Temperature NDVI |
TM: Thematic Mapper USGS: United States Geologic Survey NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration OLI: Operational Land Imager TIRS: Thermal Infrared Sensor VNIR: visible near-infrared LST: land surface temperature NDVI: normalized difference vegetation index |
|
| ETM+ | Landsat 7 (USGS, NASA) |
60 m (TIRS)—LST 30 m (VNIR)—NDVI |
16 days | 1999–present | Temperature NDVI |
ETM+: Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus |
|
| OLI | Landsat 8 (USGS, NASA) |
100 m (TIRS)—LST 30 m (VNIR)—NDVI |
16 days | 2013–present | Temperature NDVI |
OLI: Operational Land Imager |
|
| ASTER | Terra (NASA, METI) |
90 m (TIRS)—LST 15 m (VNIR)—NDVI |
16 days | 1999– | Temperature NDVI |
ASTER: Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer METI: Japanese Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry |
|
| Moderate-resolution sensors | |||||||
| AVHRR | NOAA (multiple) | 1.1 km | 12 h | 1979–present | Temperature | AVHRR: Advanced Very High–Resolution Radiometer |
LST: Split-window approach |
| MODIS | Terra, Aqua (NASA) |
1 km—LST 250 m–1 km—NDVI |
12 h | 2000–present | Temperature NDVI |
MODIS: Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer |
LST: Split-window approach PPT: IR—multispectral methods, cloud properties |
| MVIRI | Meteosat (EUMETSAT) |
5 km | Sub-daily Daily Monthly |
1983–2005 | Temperature | MVIRI: Meteosat Visible and Infrared Imager Meteosat: Meteorological Satellite EUMETSAT: European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites |
PPT:IR—cloud index methods, multispectral methods, life cycle methods, cloud model methods |
| SEVIRI | MSG, Meteosat-8 | 3 km | 24 h | 2005– | Temperature | SEVIRI: Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager MSG: Meteosat Second Generation |
LST: Split-window approach, four-channel approach (3.9, 8.7, 10.8, 12.0 µm) PPT: IR—multispectral methods, cloud properties |
| AMSU | NOAA, Aqua, MetOp |
15 km | 2 h | 1998–2013 | Precipitation | AMSU: Advanced Microwave Sound Unit |
MW |
| AMSR | NOAA, Aqua | 15 km | Daily | 1998–2011 | Precipitation | AMSR: Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer |
MW |
| SSM/IS | NASA, DMSP | 0.25 DD | Daily | 1987–2015 | Precipitation | SSM/IS: Special Sensor Microwave/Imager and Sounder DMSP: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program |
MW |
| TMI and PR | TRMM (NASA, JAXA) |
0.25 DD | Sub-daily Daily Monthly |
1997–2015 | Precipitation | TMI: TRMM Microwave Imager PR: Precipitation Radar TRMM: Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission JAXA: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency |
MW, IR |
| GMI and DPR |
GPM (NASA, JAXA) |
0.1 DD | 2–3 h | 2014–present | Precipitation | GMI: Multichannel GPM Microwave Imager DPR: Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar GPM: Global Precipitation Measuring Mission |
MW, IR |
| STRM | NGA, NASA | 1 arcsecond (30 m) | 2000 | Elevation | STRM: Shuttle Radar Topography Mission NGA: National Geospatial Intelligence Agency |
||
| Gridded data—gauge only | |||||||
| LocClim | FAO | Unknown | Daily | 1880–present | Temperature | LocClim: Local Climate Estimator |
Gauge (FAOCLIM 2.0), interpolated |
| CRU TS v2.1 |
Tyndall Centre (UEA) |
0.5 DD | Monthly | 1901–2002 | Temperature Precipitation |
CRU TS: Climatic Research Unit Time Series UEA: University of East Anglia |
Gauge, interpolated |
| CRU TS v3.23 |
CRU (UEA) | 0.5 DD | Monthly | 1901–2014 | Temperature Precipitation |
Gauge, interpolated | |
| CPC- unified gauge |
CPC (NOAA) | 0.5 DD | Daily | 1979–2005 | Precipitation | Climate Prediction Center | Gauge (GHCN & others), interpolated |
| GPCC | DWD (WMO) | 0.5 DD 1.0 DD 2.5 DD |
Daily Monthly |
1900–present | Precipitation | GPCC: Global Precipitation Climatology Centre WMO:World Meteorological Organization DWD: Deutsche Wetterdienst (German Weather Service) |
Gauge (lists number of gauges in each grid), interpolated |
| WorldClim | WorldClim | 30 arcseconds (1 km) |
Climatology | Temperature Precipitation |
Gauge (GHCN and others) | ||
| CRU CL 1.0 | Tyndall Centre (UEA) |
0.5 DD | Climatology | 1961–1990 | Temperature Precipitation |
CRU CL: Climatic Research Unit Climatology |
Gauge |
| PREC/L | NOAA | 0.5 DD | Monthly | 1948–2013 | Precipitation | PREC/L: Precipitation Reconstruction over Land |
Gauge (GHCN), interpolated |
| GISTEMP | NASA GISS | 2 DD | Monthly | 1880–2013 | Temperature | GISTEMP: GISS Temperature Analysis GISS: Goddard Institute for Space Studies Surface |
Gauge (GHCN), interpolated |
| CRUTEM4 | CRU UEA | 5 DD | Monthly | 1850–2013 | Temperature | CRUTEM4: Climate Research Unit Temperature 4 CRU: Climate Research Unit |
Gauge (GHCN and others), interpolated |
| MLOST | NOAA NCDC | 5 DD | Monthly | 1880–2013 | Temperature | MLOST: NOAA Merged Land–Ocean Surface Temperature Analysis |
Gauge (GHCN), interpolated |
| BEST | UC Berkeley | 5 DD | Daily | 1701–2013 | Temperature | BEST: Berkeley Earth Surface Temperatures |
Gauge (GHCN & others), interpolated |
| Willmott and Matsuura |
University of Delaware |
0.5 DD | Monthly | 1900–2014 | Temperature | Gauge (GHCN & others), interpolated |
|
| Gridded data—satellite only | |||||||
| CHOMPS | CICS | 0.25 DD | Daily | 1998–2007 | Precipitation | CHOMPS: CICS High-Resolution Optimally Interpolated Microwave Precipitation from Satellites CICS: Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites |
MW (SSM/I, AMSU, AMSR-E, and TRMM) |
| CMORPH | CPC | 0.25 DD | Daily | 2002–2015 | Precipitation | CMORPH: CPC Morphing Technique CPC: Climate Prediction Center |
MW |
| eMODIS | MODIS FEWS (USGS/EROS) |
250 m | 10 days | 2000–present | NDVI | eMODIS: EROS Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer FEWS: Famine Early Warning System EROS: Earth Resources Observation and Science USGS: United States Geological Survey |
IR |
| GIMMS | AVHRR (NOAA) | 8 km | Bimonthly | 1981–2006 | NDVI | GIMMS: Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies |
|
| GlobCover | MERIS, ENVISAT (ESA) |
300 m | 2004–2006 | Land cover map |
ESA: European Space Agency |
||
| 2006–2009 | ENVISAT: Environment Satellite |
||||||
| GLC2000 | SPOT 4 | 20 m | 2000 | Land cover map |
GLC2000: Global Land Cover 2000 |
||
| SPOT: Satellite pour l’Observation de la Terre |
|||||||
| IGAD/NILE MMbd |
AVHRR | 1.1 km | 12 h | 1979–present | NDVI | IGAD: Intergovernmental Authority on Development |
LST: Split-window approach |
| Temperature | AVHRR: Advanced Very High–Resolution Radiometer |
PPT: IR—multispectral methods |
|||||
| Gridded data—satellite gauge | |||||||
| RFE 2.0 | CPC | 0.1 DD | Daily | 2001–present | Precipitation | RFE: African Rainfall Estimation Algorithm |
Gauge (GHCN), IR, PMW |
| ARC 2.0 | CPC | 0.1 DD | Daily Monthly |
1983–present | Precipitation | ARC2: African Rainfall Climatology, version 2 |
Gauge (GHCN), IR |
| CMAP | NOAA CPC | 2.5 DD | Monthly | 1979–2011 | Precipitation | CMAP: Climate Prediction Center Merged Analysis of Precipitation |
Gauge, PMW, IR |
| GPCP | GSFC (NASA) | 1 DD | Daily | 1996–2015 | Precipitation | Station gauge data, satellite data |
|
| GPCP | GSFC (NASA) | 2.5 DD | Monthly | 1979–2015 | Precipitation | Gauge satellite soundings | |
| PERSIANN- CDR |
CHRS | 0.25 DD | Daily | 1983–2015 | Precipitation | Gauge, PMW, IR | |
| TMPA | NASA and JAXA | 0.25 DD | Sub-daily Daily Monthly |
1998–2014 | Precipitation | TMPA: TRMM Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis |
PMW, AMW, IR, gauge (for calibration) |
| IMERG | NASA | 0.1 DD | Precipitation | IMERG: Integrated MultiSatellite Retrievals for GPM |
Gauge, PMW, IR | ||
| EPSAT-SG | 4 km | Sub-daily | 2004– | Precipitation | EPSAT-SG: Estimation of Precipitation by Satellite—Second Generation |
Gauge, PMW, IR | |
| MPE | EUMETSAT | 4 km | Sub-daily | 2007– | Precipitation | Gauge, IR, PMW, AMW | |
| KNMI PPP | 4 km | Sub-daily | 2004– | Precipitation | IR | ||
| TARCAT TAMSAT |
Meteosat | 4 km | Daily | 1983–present | Precipitation | TAMSAT: Tropical Applications of Meteorology using Satellite data and ground-based observations |
IR, gauge (for calibration) |
| Monthly | TARCAT: TAMSAT African Rainfall Climatology And Time Series |
||||||
| NCEP/ NCAR R1 |
2.5 DD | Sub-daily Daily Monthly |
1948–2015 | Temperature | R1: First-generation reanalysis (Vintage: 1995) NCEP: National Centers for Environmental Prediction NCAR: National Center for Atmospheric Research |
Gauge, satellite | |
| AgMIP | MERRA | 0.5 DD 0.25 DD |
Climatology | 1980–2010 | Temperature Precipitation |
AgMIP: Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project MERRA: Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications CFSR: Climate Forecast System Reanalysis |
Gauge, TRMM, CMORPH,PERSIAN |
| OISST | AVHRR, AMSRE (NOAA) |
SST | OISST: Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature |
Ships, buoys, AVHRR, AMSRE |
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| Other | |||||||
| The Spatial Charac- terization |
Monthly | Precipitation | The Spatial Characterization Tool—Africa v. 1.0 |
||||
| Tool | Temperature | Texas Agricultural Experimental Station, Texas A&M University |
|||||
| DARLAM | CSIRO | 125 km | CSIRO: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation |
Regional Climate Model For Australia—outdated; now they are using ACCESS |
|||
| The climate of Africa |
Precipitation | BW Thompson, Oxford University Press, 1965 |
|||||
| African Remote Sensing |
ASECNA | ASECNA: Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar |
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| Data Bank | |||||||
Note: 1 DD= 111.32 km at equator; 30 arcseconds = 0.86 km2 (1 km2).