CALIPSO IIR: Cloud and Aerosol Infrared Radiometry from the A-Train Constellation

CALIPSO satellite data collected from its launch on April 28, 2006, as part of the international A-Train constellation. The dataset consists of half-orbit emissivity and cloud particle data from the Imaging Infrared Radiometer (IIR), co-located with lidar tracks. It is a joint mission between NASA and the French space agency CNES.

Use Cases

• Modeling Earth's radiation budget based on cloud and aerosol emissivity data.
• Studying cloud particle properties based on co-located infrared and lidar observations.
• Analyzing diurnal atmospheric changes based on half-orbit night and day data.
• Validating climate models based on satellite-derived atmospheric profiles.

Strengths

• Data from a dedicated satellite mission launched in 2006 with a specific climate study objective.
• Observations are part of the coordinated A-Train constellation for coincident Earth measurements.
• Contains data from three specific instruments: CALIOP, IIR, and WFC.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and French Agency CNES.

Collection Method

Satellite observations from the CALIPSO spacecraft instruments.

Time Range

From satellite launch on April 28, 2006.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:18:50.099331; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage from satellite orbit.