CARE: a next-generation high resolution cloud and radiation remote sensing product and its Earth system applications

High spatiotemporal resolution remote sensing products are essential for advancing Earth system science. These products, which include key atmospheric and surface radiation parameters, are crucial not only for studying cloud-radiation-climate interactions and global radiative energy balance, but also for understanding multi-sphere interactions within the Earth system. The Cloud Remote Sensing, Atmospheric Radiation and Renewable Energy Application (CARE) algorithm system and products provide a comprehensive suite of around 30 parameters, including cloud and aerosol properties, atmospheric water vapor, and surface radiation budget. CARE products are primarily generated using observations from new-generation geostationary satellites like FY-4 and Himawari-8, combined with data from polar-orbiting satellites including FY-3 and MODIS, enabling multi-scale data coverage across East Asia and the globe. A key advantage of CARE products is their high spatiotemporal resolution: global products achieve a 5 km and 30-min spatiotemporal resolution, enabling detailed characterization of diurnal variations in parameters such as cloud cover, cloud water content and surface radiation flux. Notably, parameters like downward shortwave radiation show higher accuracy compared to other existing datasets. The CARE system integrates a full-spectrum ice crystal scattering model, the high-performance CARE radiative transfer model (CARE-RTM), advanced remote sensing retrieval algorithms incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and a near-real-time monitoring platform to facilitate product development. This study summarizes the recent development of CARE models, algorithms, and products, highlighting the unique features of the full-spectrum ice crystal scattering model, the enhanced RTM, high-performance remote sensing retrieval algorithms with accuracy evaluation, and the broad use of CARE-derived datasets in atmospheric and climate research.