Multi‐year statistics of selected variable from the ISCCP C2 data set

Coarse spatial resolution monthly statistics of selected variables of the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) C2 data set are analysed. The total cloud amount statistics are compared with those from conventional surface observations available from the Consolidated Ocean‐Atmosphere Data Set (COADS). These statistics include annual means and intra‐annual variances and correlations with the COADS sea surface temperature and surface relative humidity. In general the ISCCP C2 total cloud amount statistics are found to be in very good agreement with those of the COADS. In particular a number of correlation patterns are evident which are explainable in terms of known climatology, and which might be utilized as verification diagnostics for forecast and climate models. Preliminary analyses of the ISCCP C2 cloud‐top pressure and cloud water content have also been carried out. The annual means and intra‐annual standard deviations of these parameters appears to be consistent with surface cloud‐type observations. Furthermore, the intra‐annual variations of cloud‐top pressure and cloud water all have broad regions with significant correlations with sea surface temperature.