CALIPSO IIR: Infrared Radiance from the A-Train Constellation

CALIPSO, a joint NASA-CNES satellite launched in 2006, provides calibrated infrared radiance data to study clouds and aerosols. Its Imaging Infrared Radiometer (IIR) collects half-orbit data registered to a 1 km grid centered on the satellite's lidar track. This Level 1B product is fundamental for analyzing the Earth's radiation budget and climate within the international A-Train constellation.

Use Cases

• Analyzing cloud radiative properties based on calibrated infrared radiances.
• Studying aerosol impacts on climate using geolocated radiance data along the satellite track.
• Validating atmospheric models with coincident observations from the A-Train constellation.
• Investigating spatial patterns of atmospheric components using the 1 km gridded image data.

Strengths

• Data collection is explicitly stated as ongoing, indicating continuous temporal coverage.
• Data is geolocated and calibrated, providing a processed foundation for analysis.
• Cross-platform presence on datagov and nasa_earthdata signals established importance and accessibility.

Limitations

• Specific column names and data volume (size/rows) are unknown across all sources, limiting understanding of granular structure.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' metadata between platforms (2026-03-13 vs. 2023-06-30), raising questions about data freshness.
• Descriptions are sparse on specific processing algorithms or uncertainty metrics for the radiance values.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the French space agency CNES.

Collection Method

Collected by the Imaging Infrared Radiometer (IIR) instrument aboard the CALIPSO satellite.

Time Range

Ongoing collection since the CALIPSO launch on April 28, 2006.

Freshness

Last updated dates conflict: datagov lists 2026-03-13, while nasa_earthdata lists 2023-06-30.

Geography

Global coverage along the satellite's orbital track within the A-Train constellation.