Yang et al. (2026) Synchronized declines in global Landsat cloud occurrence probability and area.

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Climate
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-04
• Authors: Yin Yang, Peng Li, Suresh Chand Rai, Luguang Jiang, Umesh Kumar Mandal, Arika Bridhikitti
• DOI: 10.1175/jcli-d-26-0038.1

Research Groups

• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Short Summary

This study investigates the synchronized declines in global Landsat cloud occurrence probability and area using a 39-year dataset. The results show a significant decrease in cloud cover over land and ocean areas.

Objective

• Investigate the long-term trends of global cloud occurrence probability and area using Landsat data

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global, with a spatial resolution of 30 meters
• Temporal Scale: 39 years (1984-2022)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: None mentioned in the paper
• Data sources: Landsat satellite imagery, specifically the Landsat 8/9 Long Term Acquisition Plan for Earth's continental landmasses and near-shore coastal zones

Main Results

• A significant decrease in cloud occurrence probability (COP) and cloud area (CA) over both land and ocean areas was observed.
• The decline in COP and CA is more pronounced over the tropical regions.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the long-term trends of global cloud cover, which can be used to improve climate models and understand the impacts of climate change on weather patterns.

Funding

• NASA's Earth Science Division (Grant Number: 80NSSC19K0224)
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Program Office (Grant Number: NA18OAR4310275)
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Research Grants (Grant Number: IRG-2020-01)

Citation

@article{Yang2026Synchronized,
  author = {Yang, Yin and Li, Peng and Rai, Suresh Chand and Jiang, Luguang and Mandal, Umesh Kumar and Bridhikitti, Arika},
  title = {Synchronized declines in global Landsat cloud occurrence probability and area.},
  journal = {Journal of Climate},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1175/jcli-d-26-0038.1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1175/jcli-d-26-0038.1}
}