The CACATOES database is a level-3 product derived from the TOOCAN database. It allows to analyze the MCSs over the entire tropical belt by an Eulerian approach. The integrated morphological parameters of each MCS have been projected into a 1°/1day grid. The characteristics of all the MCSs occurring in a given gridpoint have been sorted according to the MCS area occupied within this gridpoint. Thus, the most representative MCS can then be easily identified for a given 1°/1day gridpoint.
The CACATOES database is available for the 5-year period over the whole tropical belt [30°S-30°N] in the following link: https://doi.org/10.14768/20191112002.1
It is composed by 1°/1day global monthly files in NETCDF.
MCS integrated morphological parameters
| Parameters | Description | Units |
| QCgeo_numgeo | ID of the geostationary platform | |
| QCgeo_GEOScanMode | Number of GEO images per day / in routine mode / in rapid scan mode | |
| QCtoocan_Interruption | Indication of a tracking interruption | |
| QCtoocan_nbSegmentedImages | Number of segmented images created by TOOCAN per day | |
| QCcacatoes_nbpixels | number of GEO pixels within a CACATOES 1°/1day gridpoint | |
| QCcacatoes_SurfGridPoint | Cumultated GEO pixels surface into a CACATOES 1°/1day gridpoint | |
| DAYLYMCS_POP | population of MCSs which are included partially or totally ( INT_Sfract ) within a CACATOES 1°/1day gridpoint | |
| QCmcs_Label | ID of the MCS | |
| QCmcs_Flag | Confidence on the tracked MCS | |
| QCmcs_Class | Classification of the MCSs | class 1 = MCS with a duration < 5hr class 2a = MCS with a duration ≥ 5hr and described by a uniq maximum extent along their life cycles class 2b = MCS with a duration ≥ 5hr and described by several maximums extent along their life cycles |
| INT_Duration | Life time duration | hr |
| INT_Smax | Maximum cold cloud surface reached by the MCS along its life cycle at 235K | km² |
| INT_Scum | Cumultaed cold cloud surface of the MCS along its life cycle at 235K | km² |
| INT_Tmax | Time of maximum extent | % |
| INT_Distance | Propagated distance covered by the MCS | km |
| INT_Tbmin | Minimum brightness temperature | K |
| INT_Ecc220K | Eccentricity of the ellipse at a 220K threshold and at Tmax | |
| INT_Ecc235K | Eccentricity of the ellipse at a 235K threshold and at Tmax | |
| INIT_Time | Local time of the MCS initiation | integer part: number of days since the 1st January 1970 decimal part: fraction of the day |
| INIT_Lon | Longitude of the MCS center of mass at its inititation | ° |
| INIT_Lat | Latitude of the MCS center of mass at its initiation | ° |
| END_Time | Local time of the MCS dissipation | integer part: number of days since the 1st January 1970 decimal part: fraction of the day |
END_Lon | Longitude of the MCS center of mass at its dissipation | ° |
| END_Lat | Latitude of the MCS center of mass at its dissipation | ° |
| INT_Sfract | Fraction of the MCS within the CACATOES 1°/1day gridpoint | % |
| INT_GridFraction | Fraction of the CACATOES 1°/1day gridpoint occupied by an MCS | % |
| INT_Surfmcs | MCS Integrated Surface at a 235K threshold within a CACATOES 1°/1day gridpoint | km² |
The technical aspects of the CACATOES database can be found in the following documentation: