FIRE ASTEX: Weekly Front Intensity Fields from NOAA Satellites, 1992

Weekly front intensity fields derived from NOAA 11 and 12 polar-orbiting satellite observations during the 1992 Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX). The data consists of 752 pixels per row across 652 rows, with each pixel representing a spatial resolution of 0.02 degrees and units of degrees Celsius per 5 kilometers. NASA produced this dataset as part of the First ISCCP Regional Experiments (FIRE) to improve cloud and radiation parameterizations in general circulation models.

Use Cases

• Validate and improve cloud/radiation parameterizations in GCMs based on the described satellite observations of marine stratocumulus systems.
• Study the physical processes and life cycles of marine stratocumulus clouds based on the coordinated satellite, airborne, and surface observation mission.
• Analyze front intensity gradients in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean during June 1992 based on the weekly geospatial fields.
• Investigate relationships between satellite data resolution and cloud property representations as mentioned in the FIRE program goals.

Strengths

• Data is part of a coordinated international experiment (FIRE) designed to improve fundamental climate models.
• Spatial resolution is explicitly defined as 0.02 degrees per pixel.
• Data structure is defined with 752 pixels per row and 652 rows.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The temporal coverage is limited to weekly files for the year 1992.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Observations from NOAA 11 and 12 polar orbiting satellites, processed into weekly front intensity fields.

Time Range

Weekly data for the year 1992, specifically from the June 1992 intensive field observation.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:48:20.355714; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Eastern North Atlantic Ocean, focused on the ASTEX study region.