Four intensive field observation periods from 1986 to 1992 coordinated satellite, airborne, and surface data to study cloud life cycles. The data is a subset of the ISCCP Stage DX Cloud Product for the Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment region. It was produced by the LARC_ASDC organization to improve cloud parameterizations in climate models.
Use Cases
- Validate cloud optical thickness and top temperature retrievals from the ISCCP DX algorithm against airborne measurements.
- Analyze the temporal evolution of marine stratocumulus cloud fraction and properties during the June 1992 ASTEX campaign.
- Correlate satellite-derived cloud phase classifications with in-situ observations from the field experiments.
- Study the spatial patterns of cloud top pressure and optical depth in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean region.
Strengths
- Data integrates coordinated observations from satellite, airborne, and surface platforms for four distinct field campaigns.
- Focuses on two critical cloud types (cirrus and marine stratocumulus) with dedicated intensive observation periods.
Limitations
- Data is temporally limited, with the most recent observations ending in June 1992.
- Specific row counts, column details, and spatial resolution of the subset are not provided in the description.
Provenance
- Source
- LARC_ASDC (NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center).
- Collection Method
- Subset of the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Stage DX Cloud Product from a revised algorithm, combined with coordinated field campaign data.
- Time Range
- Field campaigns occurred in 1986, 1987, 1991, and 1992, with the ASTEX campaign in June 1992.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Includes data from the eastern North Atlantic Ocean (ASTEX), southeastern Kansas, southwestern coast of California, and other campaign regions.