CALIPSO Lidar Vertical Feature Mask for Clouds and Aerosols

Version 4-51 data from the CALIPSO satellite's CALIOP instrument provides a vertical feature mask classifying atmospheric layers. The joint NASA and French CNES mission collected data from launch in April 2006, operating in the A-Train satellite constellation from June 2006 to September 2018. This Level 2 product is processed and distributed by the LARC_ASDC organization.

Use Cases

• Classify atmospheric vertical features (e.g., cloud/aerosol type, layer height) using the lidar backscatter and depolarization ratio profiles.
• Analyze temporal trends in global cloud and aerosol coverage by correlating feature mask data with the satellite's geolocation and time stamps.
• Validate climate and weather models by comparing simulated atmospheric vertical structures against the observed feature mask classifications.
• Study the radiative impact of specific aerosol layers by isolating them in the vertical mask and combining with other instrument data.

Strengths

• Data collection spans over 12 years from the satellite's launch in 2006.
• Product is a specific version (V4-51) indicating defined processing standards.
• Derived from the CALIOP instrument, a primary sensor designed for vertical atmospheric profiling.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column details, and data volume are not provided.
• Primary data collection for the original mission phase concluded in 2018, limiting temporal recency for current atmospheric studies.
• Data quality and coverage may be influenced by instrument calibration and orbital changes over the mission lifespan.

Provenance

Source

NASA's CALIPSO satellite mission, a joint project with the French space agency CNES.

Collection Method

Data collected by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument.

Time Range

From satellite launch in April 2006, with specific constellation operations from June 2006 to September 2018.

Freshness

Metadata was last updated in June 2023, but underlying observational data is historical.

Geography

Global coverage along the satellite's orbital track.