CALIPSO Tropospheric Aerosol Profiles From Cloudy Sky Transparent Data

Monthly mean profiles of aerosol optical properties are reported on a uniform spatial grid below 12km altitude. Data is derived from the CALIOP instrument on the CALIPSO satellite, a NASA and CNES partnership launched in 2006. The mission concluded in August 2023, with this specific product generated from version 5.00 Level 2 data.

Use Cases

• Analyze vertical profiles of the aerosol extinction coefficient at 532 nm to model aerosol transport and radiative forcing.
• Calculate the aerosol optical depth (AOD) from vertically integrated extinction to assess atmospheric opacity and air quality impacts.
• Study aerosol type and spatial distribution information to classify particle sources and sinks.
• Compare aerosol properties derived separately for day and night to investigate diurnal cycles.
• Use data averaged only from level 2 columns containing transparent clouds to isolate aerosol signals in partly cloudy conditions.

Strengths

• Derived from version 5.00 CALIOP Level 2 data which has undergone quality screening prior to averaging.
• Provides separate monthly mean profiles for day and night observations, enabling diurnal analysis.
• Data is reported on a uniform spatial grid, facilitating regional and global comparisons.

Limitations

• Data is limited to the troposphere, with no profiles reported above 12km altitude.
• The 'Cloudy Sky Transparent' designation means data is only from columns with transparent clouds, potentially reducing spatial coverage in heavily clouded regions.
• The CALIPSO science mission concluded in August 2023, so data is not updated beyond the mission's operational period.

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, averaged from Level 2 data.

Time Range

Mission operated from April 2006 to August 2023; product covers monthly means within that period.

Freshness

Last updated 2023-07-01; mission concluded August 2023.

Geography

Global coverage from the CALIPSO satellite orbit.