ABoVE/ASCENDS: Atmospheric Backscatter Profiles from 2017 Airborne Lidar Campaign

Atmospheric backscattering coefficient profiles were collected by a NASA DC-8 aircraft from July 20 to August 8, 2017, over Alaska and parts of Canada. The data were measured by the CO2 Sounder Lidar instrument during the ASCENDS and ABoVE campaigns. Profiles include the atmospheric backscatter cross-section and two-way atmosphere transmission, provided in ICARTT format.

Use Cases

• Modeling atmospheric light transmission based on attenuated backscatter profiles.
• Studying Arctic-boreal carbon dioxide mixing ratios based on column-averaged XCO2 data.
• Analyzing aerosol distribution and cloud properties based on time-resolved backscatter signal strength.
• Validating satellite-based lidar measurements based on high-resolution airborne profiles.

Strengths

• Data collected during a coordinated NASA campaign (ABoVE/ASCENDS) with a specific instrument (CO2 Sounder Lidar).
• Covers a defined temporal range from 2017-07-20 to 2017-08 08.
• Provides specific geospatial coverage over Alaska, U.S., and the Yukon and Northwest Territories of Canada.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Airborne measurements from a DC-8 aircraft using a pulsed, multi-wavelength Integrated Path Differential Absorption lidar.

Time Range

2017-07-20 to 2017-08-08

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 19:42:08.781032; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Alaska, U.S., and the Yukon and Northwest Territories of Canada