| Summary: | The extended AVHRR Polar Pathfinder (APP-x) cryosphere contains 19 geophysical variables over the Arctic and Antarctic for the period 1982 - present. All of them have undergone various degrees of validation, though not all are considered Climate Data Record (CDR) quality. The variables are (those considered by the developers to be CDR-quality are identified with an asterisk): Surface temperature, all-sky, snow, ice, and land* Surface albedo, all-sky* Sea ice thickness* Surface type Cloud mask* Cloud particle thermodynamic phase Cloud optical depth Cloud particle effective radius Cloud temperature Cloud pressure Cloud type Downwelling shortwave radiation at the surface* Downwelling longwave radiation at the surface* Upwelling shortwave radiation at the surface* Upwelling longwave radiation at the surface* Upwelling shortwave radiation at the top of the atmosphere (TOA)* Upwelling longwave radiation at the TOA* Shortwave cloud radiative forcing at the surface Longwave cloud radiative forcing at the surface APP-x data products are mapped to a 25 km EASE grid at two local solar times: 04:00 and 14:00 for the Arctic, and 02:00 and 14:00 for the Antarctica. Using local solar time rather than standard UTC times provides better information on diurnal differences at all locations.
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