Laser ceilometer data from the 1992 Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment captured cloud base height with a vertical resolution of 25 feet up to 25,600 feet. Colorado State University operated the instrument on Porto Santo, Madeira, during the intensive field observation period from June 1 to June 28, 1992. The dataset was collected to improve cloud parameterizations in general circulation models.
Use Cases
- Validate satellite-derived cloud base height estimates against high-resolution, ground-based ceilometer measurements from the ASTEX campaign.
- Analyze temporal evolution of cloud base height during the marine stratocumulus transition to understand cloud lifecycle dynamics.
- Correlate cloud base height data with other FIRE ASTEX observations like satellite imagery and airborne measurements to study cloud system physical processes.
- Use the 1024-range-gate vertical profile data to investigate the vertical structure and frequency of cloud layers over the eastern North Atlantic.
Strengths
- High vertical resolution of 25 feet for cloud detection.
- Data collected during a coordinated, month-long intensive field observation period (June 1992).
- Instrument operated at a specific, documented wavelength of 0.91 microns.
Limitations
- Data is temporally limited to a single field campaign from 1992.
- Geographic coverage is restricted to a single instrument site on Porto Santo, Madeira.
- The raw data format and specific column structure are not described.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center (LARC_ASDC).
- Collection Method
- Ground-based laser ceilometer measurements using a Belfort instrument with a Gallium-Arsenide laser.
- Time Range
- June 1, 1992 to June 28, 1992.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Porto Santo, Madeira, in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean.