FIRE ASTEX: Wind Profiler Data for Cloud Studies in the Eastern North Atlantic

Five-beam Doppler radar data from the Colorado State University wind profiler, operating at 404.37 MHz with a 250-meter height resolution. This dataset was collected during the 1992 Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX) to improve cloud and radiation models for climate prediction. The data is part of the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) project, managed by NASA.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical wind profiles and radial velocities up to 15km to study marine stratocumulus cloud life cycles.
• Investigating interactions between physical cloud processes and radiative properties based on coordinated satellite and surface observations.
• Validating and improving cloud parameterizations in general circulation models (GCMs) using high-resolution field data.

Strengths

• Data originates from a coordinated NASA field experiment designed for model validation.
• Wind profiler operated with a specific 250-meter height resolution and a 404.37 MHz frequency.

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 legacy formats (BIN, TAR, ISO) that may require specialized tools to process.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by a five-beam CSU wind profiler (clear air Doppler radar) during the ASTEX intensive field-observation period.

Time Range

Primary collection during the June 1 - June 28, 1992 ASTEX field campaign.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:55:35.131206; freshness should be verified

Geography

Eastern North Atlantic Ocean, specifically the area of the Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment.