A 14‐year European Cloud Climatology from NOAA/AVHRR data in comparison to surface observations

[1] A 14-year (1990–2003) high resolution European Cloud Climatology has been generated by use of NOAA/AVHRR data. For selected areas we present spatially averaged monthly means of total cloud cover derived from noon overpasses and compare them with surface SYNOP observations. The climatologies do not reveal a significant trend of cloud cover over the 14-year period. However, both data sets show a clear latitudinal variability and a seasonal dependence which is more pronounced in the satellite than in the SYNOP observations. Mean differences between satellite and SYNOP data range from about −2% to −10% in all seasons except summer when the mean difference is as large as −15.3%. As a special feature we notice the broad minimum of cloud cover during the extreme dry and hot summer in 2003 in Central Europe.

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