CALIPSO Lidar: 1 km Cloud Layer Data from the A-Train Satellite Constellation

CALIPSO satellite data provides global observations of cloud and aerosol layers to study Earth's radiation budget and climate. The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) mission is a joint project between NASA and the French space agency CNES, launched in 2006. These Level 2 data products contain 1 km resolution cloud layer information.

Use Cases

• Modeling cloud radiative forcing based on cloud layer altitude and optical properties.
• Tracking aerosol transport and its climatic effects based on aerosol layer data.
• Validating climate models using coincident observations from the A-Train satellite constellation.
• Studying long-term trends in cloud cover and atmospheric composition.

Strengths

• Data is from a long-running, joint NASA-CNES satellite mission launched in 2006.
• Provides coincident observations with five other satellites in the A-Train constellation.
• Focuses on a specific climate science variable: cloud and aerosol layers at 1 km resolution.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Freshness should be verified despite a last updated date of 2026-03-13.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

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

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:23:06.809021

Geography

Global coverage from the satellite's orbit.