The Coastal Zone Colour Scanner (CZCS) was a multi-channel scanning radiometer aboard the US Nimbus 7 satellite. Nimbus 7 was launched 24 October 1978, and CZCS became operational on 2 November 1978. It was only designed to operate for one year (as a proof-of-concept), but in fact remained in service until 22 June 1986. Its operation on board the Nimbus 7 was limited to alternate days as it shared its power with the passive microwave scanning multi channel microwave radiometer. CZCS measured reflected solar energy in six channels, at a resolution of 800 meters. These measurements were used to map chlorophyll concentration in water, sediment distribution, salinity, and the temperature of coastal waters and ocean currents. The data were transferred to CEDA when the Dundee Satellite Receiving Station (NEODAAS Dundee node) facility was closed to continue the long term archive.

This dataset provides optical level 0 ocean colour data. The SeaWiFS instrument was launched by Orbital Sciences Corporation on the OrbView-2 (a.k.a. SeaStar) satellite in August 1997, and collected data from September 1997 until the end of mission in December 2010. SeaWiFS had 8 spectral bands from 412 to 865 nm. It collected global data at 4 km resolution, and local data (limited on board storage and direct broadcast) at 1 km. The mission and sensor were optimised for ocean colour measurements, with a local noon (descending) equator crossing time orbit, fore-and-aft tilt capability, full dynamic range, and low polarisation sensitivity. The data were transferred to CEDA when the Dundee Satellite Receiving Station NERC Earth Observation Data Acquisition and Analysis Service (NEODAAS Dundee node) facility was closed to continue the long term archive.

The Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP) was organized under the auspices of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate (AC&C), a project of International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) and Stratospheric Processes And their Role in Climate (SPARC) under International Geosphere Bisosphere Programme (IGBP) and World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). The Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACC-MIP) consists of several sets of simulations that have were designed to facilitate useful evaluation and comparison of the AR5 (Intergovernmental Committee on Climate Change Assessment Report 5) transient climate model simulations. This dataset contains measurements from climate simulations of the 20th century and the future projections, which output feedback between dynamics, chemistry and radiation in every model time step. The data are collected from running the latest set of ozone precursor emissions scenarios, which output tropospheric ozone changes from 1850 to 2100.

The International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project was established in 1983 under the United Nation's Environmental Programme to promote the use of satellite data for the global land surface data sets needed for climate studies. This CD-ROM set contains the Initiative I data collection. The collection four areas : land cover, hydro-meteorology, radiation, and soils, spanning the 24 month period 1987-1988. All but one are mapped to a common spatial resolution and grid (1 degree x 1 degree). Temporal resolution for most datasets is monthly; however, a few are at a finer resolution (e.g., 6-hourly). The data within the four areas are organized into five groups within this collection: vegetation, Hydrology and Soils, Snow, Ice and Oceans, Radiation and Clouds, and Near-Surface Meteorology. This dataset collection is public. While ISLSCP Inititative I covers 2 years (1987 and 1988), ISLSCP Inititative II spans a 10-year period for 1986 to 1995.