CALIPSO Lidar L1B Profile Data: 5 km Aerosol Layer Observations

Launched on April 28, 2006, the CALIPSO satellite provides data to study the impact of clouds and aerosols on Earth's climate. These data consist of 5 km aerosol layer profiles collected by the CALIOP lidar instrument. The mission is a joint effort between NASA and the French space agency CNES.

Use Cases

• Modeling aerosol transport and climate forcing based on 5 km layer data
• Studying cloud-aerosol interactions based on lidar profile observations
• Validating atmospheric models using satellite-derived aerosol layer information

Strengths

• Data originates from a dedicated satellite mission launched in 2006, providing a long-term record.
• Observations are part of the international 'A-Train' constellation for coincident Earth measurements.
• Data is produced by a joint mission between NASA and CNES, suggesting institutional oversight.

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

Collection Method

Satellite observations from the CALIPSO mission's CALIOP lidar instrument.

Time Range

Observations began after the satellite launch on April 28, 2006.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 19:31:59.420715; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage from satellite orbit.