CLAMS CV-580: Airborne Cloud Absorption Radiometer Measurements

NASA's Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) instrument, developed by Dr. Michael King, collected this data during the CLAMS experiment. The airborne multi-wavelength scanning radiometer measures radiance across a 190-degree view with a 1-degree field of view resolution. Data functions include acquiring Earth surface and cloud imagery, determining cloud single scattering albedo, and measuring angular distributions of scattered radiation.

Use Cases

• Analyze cloud single scattering albedo based on multi-wavelength radiance measurements.
• Study the angular distribution of scattered radiation from clouds and the atmosphere.
• Measure bidirectional reflectance of various Earth surface types.
• Acquire and process imagery of Earth surface and cloud features for satellite validation.

Strengths

• Data collected by a NASA-developed instrument with a 1-degree field of view resolution.
• Instrument measures radiance across a wide 190-degree scanning range.
• Designed for multiple airborne platforms, including the University of Washington's Convair CV-580.

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 BIN and ISO formats, which may require specialized tools for processing.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the airborne Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) instrument during the CLAMS experiment.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 05:43:46.099788; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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