CLIMATOLOGICAL REFLECTIVITIES AT 380 nm FROM NIMBUS-7 TOMS

J.R. Herman     Code 916.0
                NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
                Greenbelt, MD 20771
                herman@tparty.gsfc.nasa.gov

E.A. Celarier   Software Corporation of America
                4601 Presidents Drive, Ste 350
                Lanham, MD 20706
                edward.a.celarier.1@gsfc.nasa.gov

Reference:  Herman, J.R. and E.A. Celarier, Earth surface reflectivity 
climatology at 340-380 nm from TOMS data, J. Geophys. Res., 102(D23),
28,003-28,011 (1997).

The files in this directory contain the Lambertian equivalent
reflectivities (LER) of the Earth's surface on a 1 degree (latitude) by
1.25 degree (longitude) grid, obtained from the minimum reflectivity
values measured in each grid pixel, rejecting statistically improbable
outlier values.  The entire 14-1/2 year TOMS record was used (November
1978 to May 1993). 

We have produced one file per month, representing the climatological
minimum reflectivity for each pixel within each month.

There are some regions of the Earth where persistent cloud cover is
present throughout a month. When producing these data, we have not 
made any attempt to remove those features.  The most prominent of these
features are discussed in the reference cited above.

One additional file, called  annual.dat , contains the estimated
minimum surface Lambertian equivalent reflectivity (ESLER) climatology
determined from every day's data from Nimbus-7/TOMS for the period
November 1, 1978 to May 6, 1993.  (See Plate 1 of the reference cited
above.)


Each file consists of a 4-line header, followed by 180 groups of 12 lines
containing the data. Each group contains the data for a single latitude
band, along with the center latitude value for the band.  Each value in
the file is represented by three digits, which are the data value times 10.  
Thus the digits 871 represent a value of 87.1% reflectivity.  Where data
were unavailable, for example in the polar regions beyond the terminator, 
the fill value is 999.

Data were written with the format statement

      FORMAT(11(25i3/),13i3,'   lat=',f7.1)

For example, the first part of the file rsclim01.dat is as follows


Lambert Equivalent Reflectivity Climatology at 380 nm from NIMBUS-7 TOMS data
Month of JANUARY.  Each value is 3 digit reflectivity times 10. Fill is 999
Longitudes:  288 bins centered on 179.375 W to 179.375 E  (1.25 degree steps)
Latitudes :  180 bins centered on  89.5   S to  89.5   N  (1.00 degree steps)
860860860860850850850850860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860
860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860840840840840850850850850850850
850850850850850850840840840840840840840840850850850850850850850850850850850
850840840840840840840840840850850850850850850850850850850850850850850850850
840840840840850850850850860860860860830830830830840840840840840840840840850
850850850860860860860870870870870850850850850870870870870863861860861860860
860860870870870870860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860850850850
850860860860860861860859859860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860
850850850850850850850850840840840840850850850850850850850850850850850850850
850850850850850850850850850850850840840840840850850850850840840840840840840
840840840840840840840840840840850850850850850850850850850850850850850850850
850850850850850850850850850860860860860   lat=  -89.5
850850850850850850850850860860860860860860860860840840840840850850850850860
860860860849848850853860860860860850850850850830830830830850850850850850850
850850860860860860850850850850850850850850830830830830849851852851850850849
848850850850850850850850850850850850850860860860860860860860860850850850850
850850850850820820820820860860860860870870870870860860860860860860860860860
860860860860860860860870870870870860860860860860860860860860860860860870870
870870850850850850860860860860850850850850860860860860870870870870860860860
860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860
870870870870864863862862870870870870870870870870860860860860860860860860850
850850850860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860860854852852853855857
858859870870870870870870870870870870870870860860860860870870870870840840840
840840840840840860860860860860860860860   lat=  -88.5
...