Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Data for Convective Processes Experiment

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) CPEX dataset contains satellite products from the NASA Aqua platform, collected to support the Convective Processes Experiment field campaign. Data were gathered over the North Atlantic, Gulf of America, and Caribbean Sea region during sixteen DC-8 missions from May to June 2017. This dataset is managed by the GHRC DAAC and is available in HDF-4 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing atmospheric temperature indices to study storm thermodynamics.
• Investigating water vapor indices to understand moisture transport for convection.
• Examining cloud properties to track storm development and dissipation.
• Studying atmospheric pressure measurements to model storm environments.
• Validating and improving convective parameterization in weather and climate models using targeted field campaign observations.

Strengths

• Data originates from a calibrated NASA satellite instrument (AIRS) on the Aqua platform.
• Collection is tied to a specific, targeted field campaign (CPEX) with sixteen coordinated aircraft missions.
• Covers a defined two-month period and specific geographic region for focused study.
• Dataset is hosted on multiple authoritative platforms (NASA Earthdata, Data.gov), indicating vetting and importance.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and a complete column list are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the license: one specifies 'other-license-specified', while another lists 'None'.
• Data is available only in HDF-4 format, which may require specialized tools for access and analysis.

Provenance

Source

NASA Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard the Aqua satellite, processed by GHRC DAAC.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data collection in support of the NASA CPEX field campaign.

Time Range

May 11,, 2017 through July 16, 2017

Freshness

2026-03-13 08:41:52.715684

Geography

North Atlantic-Gulf of America-Caribbean Sea region