CLIM: A cloud imager to provide sounders with agile sighting

The CLIM (Cloud Imager) infrared camera, currently being defined, has same channels as AVHRR and has been designed to assist sounders by spotting areas of clear sky from a satellite. The article outlines a simulation of CLIM, based on real data, and presents its estimated performances for different spectral band configurations associated with a cloud detection algorithm. The study shows that up to 40% more cloud-free zones can be explored by a sounder supported by such an imager, compared with the same sounder pointing fixedly at the nadir.