Monthly mean profiles of aerosol optical properties below 12 km altitude, generated from CALIOP lidar data. The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) mission, a NASA and CNES partnership, collected this data from 2006 until its conclusion in 2023. This Level 3 product is derived from quality-screened, cloud-free columns of Version 5.00 CALIOP Level 2 data.
Use Cases
- Model vertical aerosol extinction coefficient at 532 nm using the reported monthly mean profiles.
- Calculate regional aerosol optical depth (AOD) by integrating the provided vertical extinction profiles.
- Analyze aerosol type distribution and spatial patterns from the included classification data.
- Compare day versus night aerosol properties, as the product is generated separately for each period.
Strengths
- Derived from quality-screened CALIOP Level 2 data, version 5.00.
- Provides separate monthly mean profiles for day and night overpasses.
- Focuses on cloud-free columns to isolate aerosol signals.
Limitations
- Data is limited to altitudes below 12 km, excluding stratospheric aerosols.
- As a monthly mean product, it lacks the high temporal resolution of Level 2 overpass data.
- The mission concluded in 2023, providing no data beyond that date.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA and CNES CALIPSO mission, processed by LARC_CLOUD.
- Collection Method
- Remote sensing via the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument.
- Time Range
- Mission data from 2006 to 2023; product covers monthly intervals within that period.
- Freshness
- Data product last updated in July 2023; mission concluded August 2023.
- Geography
- Global coverage from satellite overpasses on a uniform spatial grid.