CALIPSO Lidar Global Cloud Occurrence Grid Data

Satellite lidar data provides global distributions of cloud occurrence and ice cloud optical depth on a uniform spatial grid. The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) mission was a partnership between NASA and the French Space Agency CNES, launched in 2006. The mission concluded its science operations in August 2023, with data collected from 2006 until 2018 within the A-Train satellite constellation.

Use Cases

• Analyze global cloud occurrence counts per grid cell to map long-term cloud cover patterns.
• Study ice cloud layer optical depth histograms to understand cloud microphysical properties.
• Correlate cloud detection samples with other A-Train satellite observations for multi-instrument atmospheric studies.
• Validate and improve climate model simulations of cloud distributions using the uniform spatial grid data.

Strengths

• Data collected from a dedicated satellite mission operating from 2006 to 2023, providing a long-term record.
• Global spatial coverage from the CALIOP lidar instrument on a uniform grid.

Limitations

• Specific row count, column details, and sample size per grid cell are unknown.
• Primary formation flying within the A-Train ended in 2018, potentially affecting later data continuity with other sensors.
• The mission has concluded, so the dataset is static with no new planned updates.

Provenance

Source

NASA and CNES CALIPSO mission, processed by LARC_CLOUD.

Collection Method

Remote sensing data from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument on the CALIPSO satellite.

Time Range

2006 to 2023 (mission period).

Freshness

Final data update was in July 2023; the mission is concluded.

Geography

Global coverage.