CALIPSO Lidar Cloud Layer Data at 1 km Resolution

Data from 2006 to 2023 was collected by the CALIPSO satellite's CALIOP instrument. This Level 2 product provides cloud layer information at a 1 km horizontal resolution, including column and layer properties. The mission was a partnership between NASA and the French Space Agency CNES, concluding in August 2023.

Use Cases

• Classify cloud layers and estimate their optical depth using integrated attenuated backscatter and base/top altitude data.
• Analyze the correlation between surface type indicators and the frequency or properties of detected cloud layers.
• Study diurnal or seasonal patterns in cloud occurrence by analyzing column descriptors containing temporal and geophysical location.
• Validate atmospheric models by comparing simulated cloud profiles against the observed layer spatial characteristics and column feature counts.

Strengths

• Long-term data collection spanning from mission launch in April 2006 through August 2023.
• High-resolution horizontal sampling at 1 km for detailed cloud layer analysis.
• Product includes multiple descriptor classes: column properties (position, geometry) and layer properties (altitudes, optical metrics).

Limitations

• Specific sample size (row count) and data volume are not provided in the description.
• Data collection concluded in 2023, so it does not include recent atmospheric events after that date.
• The description does not specify the vertical resolution or potential uncertainties in layer altitude measurements.

Provenance

Source

NASA and the French Space Agency (CNES) CALIPSO mission, processed by LARC_CLOUD.

Collection Method

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

Time Range

2006-04-28 to 2023-08-01

Freshness

Final data product update was in June 2023, coinciding with the conclusion of the science mission.

Geography

Global coverage from the satellite's orbit, initially at 705 km and later at 688 km altitude.