CALIPSO Lidar Cloud and Aerosol Layer Diagnostics

CALIPSO Lidar Level 2 Merged Layer Diagnostic Beta, V5-00 contains merged layer data from the CALIOP instrument with additional diagnostic flags and parameters used by science algorithms. The dataset was produced by the NASA and CNES CALIPSO mission, which operated from 2006 until its conclusion in August 2023. It combines information from standard 5 km and 333 m merged layer products.

Use Cases

• Analyze cloud and aerosol layer properties using diagnostic flags from the merged layer product.
• Study vertical profiles of atmospheric particles by leveraging the merged 5 km and 333 m resolution data.
• Validate climate models with layer-specific parameters collected by the CALIOP instrument from 2006-2023.
• Investigate long-term trends in cloud-aerosol interactions using the mission's multi-decade time series.

Strengths

• Data merges two standard products (5 km and 333 m resolution) for enhanced analysis.
• Includes additional diagnostic flags and parameters used by official science algorithms.
• Provides observations from a dedicated satellite mission spanning over 17 years (2006-2023).

Limitations

• Specific row count, column details, and sample size are unknown.
• Data collection concluded in 2023, limiting future temporal coverage.
• Geographic coverage is tied to the satellite's orbit, potentially creating spatial sampling biases.

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 aboard the CALIPSO satellite.

Time Range

Mission data spans from launch on April 28, 2006, to mission conclusion on August 1, 2023.

Freshness

Last updated record indicates a version from June 30, 2023.

Geography

Global coverage from the satellite's sun-synchronous orbit, initially at 705 km altitude.