FIRE ACE: Arctic Cloud Radiation Measurements from Aircraft

Radiation Measurement System (RAMS) data collected by Scripps Institution of Oceanography onboard the NCAR C-130 aircraft during the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Arctic Cloud Experiment (ACE). The dataset was provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and last updated in March 2026. The experiment aimed to improve understanding of cloud life cycles and radiative properties for general circulation models.

Use Cases

• Validate and improve cloud parameterizations in General Circulation Models (GCMs) based on high-resolution airborne measurements.
• Study the radiative properties and life cycles of Arctic clouds based on the described experimental goals.
• Investigate relationships between ISCCP satellite data and higher-resolution cloud data based on the FIRE program objectives.
• Analyze atmospheric radiation budgets in the Arctic region based on the Radiation Measurement System (RAMS) data source.

Strengths

• Data originates from a controlled scientific field campaign (FIRE ACE) with instrumentation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
• The dataset is hosted by a major space agency (NASA) and was last updated in March 2026.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the specific Arctic field campaign.

Provenance

Source

Scripps Institution of Oceanography's Radiation Measurement System (RAMS) flown on the NCAR C-130 aircraft.

Collection Method

Airborne measurements collected during the FIRE ACE field campaign.

Time Range

Temporal coverage of the FIRE ACE field campaign is not specified.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:56:53.717981; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Arctic region, as indicated by the experiment name.