CALIPSO Lidar Level 3 Ice Cloud Data: Global Monthly Averages

CALIPSO's CALIOP instrument provides global distributions of ice cloud extinction and ice water content histograms on a uniform spatial grid. All Level 3 parameters are derived from 5km cloud profile products, with a temporal average of one month, to study the impact of clouds and aerosols on Earth's radiation budget. The satellite, a joint NASA-CNES mission launched on April 28, 2006, flies in the A-Train constellation for coincident Earth observations.

Use Cases

• Analyzing global ice cloud extinction patterns based on monthly-averaged histograms.
• Studying ice water content distribution for climate model validation.
• Investigating long-term changes in cloud properties using data from the A-Train satellite constellation.

Strengths

• Data is derived from the CALIOP instrument, a dedicated space-based lidar providing vertical cloud profiles.
• Provides global coverage on a uniform spatial grid, enabling large-scale climate studies.
• Part of the international A-Train constellation, allowing for coincident observations with other satellites.

Limitations

• Product generation and distribution ended in December 2016 due to laser energy degradation, limiting temporal coverage.
• Column names and specific data formats (e.g., HDF structure) are not detailed in the provided metadata.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (e.g., 2026 vs. 2011), creating uncertainty about metadata freshness.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES).

Collection Method

Collected by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument on the CALIPSO satellite.

Time Range

From satellite launch (April 2006) to product end-of-generation (December 2016).

Freshness

The most recent platform update is listed as 2026-04-10, but this conflicts with other sources indicating data collection ended in 2016.

Geography

Global coverage.