CATS-ISS Level 2 Operational Night Mode 7.1 Version 3-01 5 km Profile

Vertical profiles of atmospheric aerosols and clouds collected by the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) lidar instrument on the International Space Station from February 12, 2015 to February 13, 2015. The data, produced by NASA, provides range-resolved measurements at three wavelengths with a 60-meter vertical and 5-kilometer horizontal resolution. CATS operated at an altitude between approximately 230 and 270 miles with a 51-degree orbital inclination.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical distribution of clouds and aerosols based on lidar profile data
• Studying diurnal changes in atmospheric properties based on day-to-night observations from the same location
• Modeling aerosol and cloud transport based on high-resolution vertical profile measurements
• Validating climate and atmospheric models based on spaceborne lidar observations

Strengths

• Provides vertical profiles at three wavelengths, a feature mentioned in the description
• Offers high-resolution data with 60-meter vertical and 5-kilometer horizontal resolution
• Enables study of diurnal cycles from space, a capability highlighted in the description

Limitations

• Data collection spans only two days (February 12-13, 2015), limiting temporal analysis
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) lidar instrument on the International Space Station.

Time Range

February 12,我们发现2015 to February 13, 2015

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 05:49:31.939579; freshness should be verified

Geography

Global coverage from ISS orbit between approximately 230 and 270 miles altitude at 51-degree inclination.