CALIPSO Lidar L2: 5 km Aerosol Layer Data from the A-Train Constellation

CALIPSO satellite data collected from its 2006 launch onward, providing observations of atmospheric aerosol layers. The dataset is produced by NASA and the French agency CNES, using the CALIOP lidar instrument. It consists of 5 km resolution aerosol layer data from the satellite flying in the international A-Train constellation.

Use Cases

• Modeling aerosol impact on climate based on lidar-derived layer data
• Studying cloud-aerosol interactions based on coincident satellite observations from the A-Train
• Analyzing long-term atmospheric trends based on data collected since 2006
• Validating climate models based on CALIOP lidar polarization measurements

Strengths

• Data originates from a joint NASA-CNES satellite mission, ensuring authoritative collection.
• Provides long-term observations from a satellite launched in 2006.
• Offers coincident Earth observations as part of the multi-satellite A-Train constellation.

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

Collected by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument on the CALIPSO satellite.

Time Range

From launch on April 28, 2006 onward.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:18:42.108206; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global, from satellite observations.