Comparison of the NOAA PATMOS-x Cloud Climate Data Records and the NCEP CFS Reanalysis Data

A new version of the Pathfinder Atmospheres Extended (PATMOS-x) AVHRR Cloud Climate Data Records (CDRS) is available from the NOAA National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). This paper will describe this new data. In addition, data from latest NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFS) Reanalysis are being used for climate studies. This paper will compare the two records and show where satellite records provide additional information to that provided by reanalysis data.