Atlantic Stratocumulus Surface Measurements from FIRE ASTEX

University of Utrecht collected surface meteorological data during the FIRE ASTEX campaign in June 1992 at Santa Maria, Azores. Measurements include temperature, humidity, wind, and radiation recorded every 2 minutes. The dataset supports research on marine stratocumulus cloud systems and their parameterization in climate models.

Use Cases

• Analyze the relationship between temperature at 6 meters (T6) and relative humidity at 6 meters (rh6) to study near-surface atmospheric stability.
• Model incoming shortwave radiation (fsin) as a function of time and wind direction (dd) to understand solar irradiance under varying cloud conditions.
• Compare temperature profiles using T2 and T6 measurements to investigate microclimatic gradients above the surface.
• Study diurnal cycles of wind speed (ff6) and radiation balance (fsin, fsou) during the marine stratocumulus observation period.
• Validate satellite-derived cloud properties using coordinated surface-based pyranometer measurements of shortwave radiation.

Strengths

• High temporal resolution with data points recorded every 2 minutes.
• Sensor accuracy is documented for key variables (e.g., temperature sensor accuracy 0.2°C).
• Data is from a coordinated, intensive field observation campaign combining surface, airborne, and satellite observations.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a single month (June 1992).
• Relative humidity measurements (rh6, rh2) are noted to be less accurate above 90%.
• Geographic coverage is limited to a single surface site at Santa Maria (36.99°N, 25.17°W).

Provenance

Source

University of Utrecht (The Netherlands), archived by NASA LARC_ASDC.

Collection Method

Surface observations collected using meteorological sensors (pyranometers, anemometers, hygrothermographs) during the ASTEX field campaign.

Time Range

June 1992.

Freshness

Data is from a historical campaign; last updated date is 1992-06-28.

Geography

Surface site at Santa Maria, Azores, Portugal (36.99°N, 25.17°W, 50m above sea level).