RECENTLY A NUMBER OF STUDIES HAVE IDENTIFIED THE NEED FOR BETTER SIMULATION OF CLOUDS IN GLOBAL CLIMATE MODELS (GCMS). THIS POINT IS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE IPCC REPORTS WHICH CITE THE LARGE DISPARITY IN MAGNITUDE AS WELL AS THE SIGN OF CLOUD FEEDBACKS SIMULATED BY THE VARIOUS CONTRIBUTING GCMS. THE 2001 IPCC REPORT (SECTION 14.2.3.1) STATES: "IN FACT THE BASIC ISSUE OF THE NATURE OF THE FUTURE CLOUD FEEDBACK IS NOT CLEAR." THE SUBSEQUENT 2007 IPCC REPORT RECONFIRMS: "CLOUD FEEDBACKS REMAIN THE LARGEST SOURCE OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE CLIMATE SYSTEM." WE PROPOSE HERE A METHODOLOGY TO ADDRESS THOSE ASPECTS OF CLOUD MORPHOLOGY CURRENTLY ABSENT FROM SOLAR RADIATIVE TRANSFER IN GCMS AND SATELLITE RETRIEVAL ALGORITHMS. SPECIFICALLY WE PROPOSE THE CREATION OF A MULTI-YEAR MARITIME WATER CLOUD RECORD BASED ON OVER TEN YEARS OF MODIS MEASUREMENTS STEMMING FROM NASA S EOS MISSIONS THAT INCLUDES:- STATISTICAL INFORMATION ON THE HORIZONTAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF KEY CLOUD PROPERTIES (I.E. LIQUID WATER PATH OPTICAL DEPTH EFFECTIVE PARTICLE SIZE ALBEDO) THAT CONSERVE THE TOTAL-SCENE MEASURED SOLAR REFLECTANCE. - 3-D MODEL-BASED ESTIMATES INCLUDING UNCERTAINTY OF THAT PORTION OF THE MEASURED SOLAR REFLECTANCE ATTRIBUTABLE TO HORIZONTAL CLOUDINHOMOGENEITY AND THAT ATTRIBUTABLE TO ILLUMINATION SHADOWING AND HORIZONTAL PHOTON FLOW. THE PRIMARY DELIVERABLE FROM THIS PROJECT WILL BE: - A UNIQUE MODIS-BASED MARITIME WATER CLOUD RECORD WITH RADIATIVELY CONSISTENT CLOUD PROPERTY DISTRIBUTIONS CORRECTED FOR INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CLOUD INHOMOGENEITY. THE DATA SET WILL BE OVER A DECADE IN LENGTH AND WILL HAVE SEVERAL IMMEDIATE APPLICATIONS INCLUDING MODEL PARAMETERIZATION DEVELOPMENT TESTING CLIMATE FORCING AND CLOUD FEEDBACK HYPOTHESES SOLAR RT VALIDATION STUDIES AND GLOBALCHANGE STUDIES. THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR OF THIS PROPOSAL IS AN EARLY-CAREER SCIENTIST WHO WROTE HIS GRADUATE THESIS ON QUANTIFYING THE EFFECTS OF 3-DSOLAR RADIATIVE TRANSFER THROUGH CLOUD USING 3-D STOCHASTIC RT MODEL SIMULATIONS. HIS POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH SHIFTED TO SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING SPECIFICALLY DEVELOPING METHODS FOR RETRIEVING RADIATIVELY CONSISTENT CLOUD OPTICAL PROPERTIES INSENSITIVE TO PIXEL FILTERING ANDTRACKING CLOUD MORPHOLOGY OVER CLIMATE TIME SCALES. DURING THIS TIME HE HAS MAINTAINED A HEALTHY RECORD OF PUBLISHING ON THIS AND RELATED TOPICS. THIS PROPOSAL LEVERAGES BOTH AREAS OF THE PI S EXPERTISE AND INCLUDES IMPORTANT ROLES FOR A GRADUATE STUDENT AND EDUCATION/OUTREACH INITIATIVE.