Monthly mean vertical profiles of aerosol extinction coefficients and optical depth are derived from CALIOP lidar data for altitudes below 12 km. NASA and the French Space Agency CNES collected this data from the CALIPSO satellite, which operated from 2006 until its science mission concluded in August 2023. The product specifically averages data from atmospheric columns containing opaque clouds, providing a distinct cloudy-sky perspective.
Use Cases
- Analyze vertical profiles of the aerosol extinction coefficient at 532 nm to model atmospheric radiative forcing under cloudy conditions.
- Study the spatial distribution of aerosol optical depth (AOD) to assess regional air quality and long-range transport of particulates.
- Investigate correlations between aerosol type classifications and the presence of opaque clouds to understand aerosol-cloud interaction mechanisms.
- Validate global climate model outputs by comparing simulated aerosol vertical structures against the monthly mean profiles on a uniform spatial grid.
Strengths
- Data is derived from version 5.00 CALIOP Level 2 data, indicating a specific, processed algorithm version.
- Profiles are generated separately for day and night, allowing for diurnal cycle analysis.
- All parameters underwent quality screening prior to averaging to enhance reliability.
Limitations
- Data is restricted to tropospheric altitudes below 12 km, excluding stratospheric aerosol information.
- The 'Cloudy Sky Opaque' designation means profiles are only calculated where opaque clouds are present, limiting clear-sky comparisons.
- The primary science mission ended in 2023, so the dataset's temporal coverage is fixed and will not receive new core observations.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA and the French Space Agency (CNES) CALIPSO mission, processed by LARC_CLOUD.
- Collection Method
- Remote sensing data collected by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument, averaged to monthly means on a uniform grid.
- Time Range
- Mission data spans from launch in April 2006 to the conclusion of the primary science mission in August 2023.
- Freshness
- Data product last updated in July 2023. The underlying mission collected data from 2006 to 2023.
- Geography
- Global coverage from the CALIPSO satellite's sun-synchronous orbit.