CAR ARCTAS BRDF Measurements V2 (CAR_ARCTAS_BRDF) at GES DISC

ARCTAS aircraft campaigns in April and July 2008 collected data to understand Arctic atmospheric changes. This data set from NASA consists of observations made with the CAR instrument, including bidirectional reflectance factor values at varying spectral bands. The data is intended to validate and constrain satellite retrievals and improve models of Arctic atmospheric composition and climate.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite-derived atmospheric and surface properties based on aircraft-measured bidirectional reflectance factor.
• Study aerosol radiative forcing and arctic haze based on spectral reflectance data from the CAR instrument.
• Model emissions and transport from boreal forest fires based on reflectance observations from the July campaign.
• Analyze chemical processes and pollution transport in the Arctic based on correlative aircraft and satellite data.

Strengths

• Data is associated with the NASA ARCTAS mission, a focused campaign to advance understanding of Arctic changes.
• Observations include bidirectional reflectance factor, a key parameter for satellite validation and radiative studies.
• Campaigns covered two distinct seasons (April and July) and multiple geographic bases in Alaska, Canada, and Greenland.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files include multiple formats (JPEG, BIN, ISO, HTML, PDF), which may complicate unified analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Observations made with the CAR (Cloud Absorption Radiometer) instrument during the ARCTAS aircraft campaigns.

Time Range

Campaigns conducted in April and July 2008.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 10:18:20.195299; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Arctic region, with operations based in Fairbanks and Barrow, Alaska; Thule, Greenland; Cold Lake, Alberta; and the Northwest Territories.