CALIPSO Lidar Level 2 Blowing Snow - Antarctica, V2-00 is a satellite data product reporting the distribution of blowing snow properties over Antarctica. The product was generated using the CALIOP instrument aboard the joint NASA-CNES CALIPSO satellite, launched in 2006. Data collection for this specific product occurred from June 2006 to at least September 2018, during the satellite's A-Train and C-Train constellation phases.
Use Cases
- Analyze blowing snow frequency and back-scatter intensity over the Antarctic continent to model surface mass balance.
- Correlate blowing snow events with CALIPSO's IIR and WFC instrument data for multi-sensor validation of atmospheric conditions.
- Study the temporal evolution of blowing snow distribution from 2006 to 2018 for climate trend analysis.
- Validate and improve climate model parameterizations of blowing snow sublimation and transport using satellite-retrieved properties.
Strengths
- Data spans over 12 years from June 2006 to September 2018, providing a long-term record.
- Product is derived from the CALIOP instrument, a spaceborne lidar providing high-vertical-resolution profiles.
- Data is part of the coordinated A-Train and C-Train satellite constellations, enabling coincident observations with other sensors.
Limitations
- Specific sample size, spatial resolution, and data volume metrics are not provided in the description.
- Data collection ended in 2018, limiting analysis of recent Antarctic blowing snow trends.
- Product is specific to Antarctica, so findings are not directly generalizable to other polar regions.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA's Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) mission, a joint project with the French space agency CNES.
- Collection Method
- Collected by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument via spaceborne lidar back-scatter retrievals.
- Time Range
- June 13, 2006 to September 13, 2018 (for the A-Train/C-Train formation period relevant to this product).
- Freshness
- Product metadata was last updated in June 2023, but the underlying data collection period ended in 2018.
- Geography
- Antarctica.