CALIPSO Lidar Level 2 5km Cloud Layer data product contains atmospheric column and cloud layer properties from the CALIOP instrument. The dataset was produced by NASA and the French Space Agency CNES from the satellite's launch in April 2006 until the science mission concluded in August 2023. It provides a global record of cloud spatial and optical characteristics at a horizontal resolution of 5 kilometers.
Use Cases
- Analyze cloud vertical structure by correlating layer base and top altitudes with atmospheric conditions.
- Study cloud optical properties and their climate impact using integrated attenuated backscatter and optical depth features.
- Investigate cloud occurrence and layering statistics using column descriptors that report the number of features identified.
- Model cloud-surface interactions by combining layer descriptors with column data on surface type and lighting conditions.
Strengths
- Data collected from a dedicated satellite mission operating from 2006 to 2023, providing a long-term record.
- Features a structured hierarchy of column descriptors and associated layer descriptors for detailed analysis.
- Global spatial coverage from a satellite in the A-Train and later C-Train constellation.
Limitations
- Specific row count, sample size, and data volume metrics are not provided in the input.
- Data collection concluded in 2023, limiting analysis of recent atmospheric conditions.
- Horizontal resolution of 5 km may be too coarse for studying small-scale cloud phenomena.
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
- April 2006 to August 2023.
- Freshness
- Data product version V5-00 was last updated on 2023-06-30, but the mission concluded in August 2023.
- Geography
- Global coverage from satellite orbit.