FIRE ACE/SHEBA: Arctic Cloud and Radiation Measurements from UW CV580 Aircraft

The First ISCCP Regional Experiments (FIRE) Arctic Cloud Experiment (ACE) data set consists of measurements from University of Washington instruments flown onboard a CV580 aircraft during the FIRE ACE/SHEBA field campaign. It was designed by NASA to improve data products and cloud/radiation parameterizations used in general circulation models (GCMs). The data aims to enhance understanding of cloud life cycles and radiative properties, particularly for cirrus and marine stratocumulus systems.

Use Cases

• Validate and improve cloud parameterizations in General Circulation Models (GCMs) based on high-resolution in-situ aircraft measurements.
• Study the life cycles and radiative properties of cirrus and marine stratocumulus cloud systems mentioned in the description.
• Investigate relationships between ISCCP satellite data, GCM parameterizations, and higher-resolution cloud data as a core goal of FIRE.
• Analyze cloud microphysical processes and their interaction with atmospheric radiation using the multi-instrument aircraft data.

Strengths

• Data originates from a coordinated NASA field campaign (FIRE ACE/SHEBA) designed for model improvement.
• Platform tags indicate coverage of multiple atmospheric variables including cloud microphysics, aerosols, water vapor, and temperature.
• Files include documentation formats (HTML, PDF) which may provide context for the raw data files (BIN, TAR, ISO).

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 is under a non-standard 'other-license-specified', requiring careful review before use.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements from University of Washington instruments onboard a CV580 aircraft during the FIRE ACE/SHEBA field campaign.

Time Range

Temporal coverage corresponds to the FIRE ACE/SHEBA field campaign period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:48:45.714548; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Spatial coverage is the Arctic region, based on the experiment name.