FIRE ASTEX: Atmospheric Soundings from Funchal, 1987-1992

Sounding measurements taken in Funchal, Madeiras during June, 1987-1992 as part of the First ISCCP Regional Experiment. The data includes 11 files, with six containing 00Z data and five containing 12Z data, collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This experiment aimed to improve cloud and radiation models for general circulation models.

Use Cases

• Validate cloud property parameterizations in GCMs based on the described field observations.
• Study marine stratocumulus cloud life cycles based on the experiment's stated goals.
• Analyze atmospheric profiles for temperature, pressure, and humidity based on the 'sounding' data type.
• Investigate satellite data relationships with higher-resolution cloud observations as mentioned in the experiment goals.

Strengths

• Data originates from a coordinated NASA field experiment designed for model validation.
• Covers a specific temporal window (June, 1987-1992) with 11 distinct data files.
• Platform tags indicate specific atmospheric variables like temperature, pressure, and water vapor.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the single Funchal location.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Coordinated satellite, airborne, and surface observations from the FIRE ASTEX field experiment.

Time Range

June, 1987-1992

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:55:18.443646; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Funchal, Madeiras, eastern North Atlantic Ocean