Atlantic Stratocumulus Radiosonde Data from FIRE ASTEX

Radiosonde data were collected from the Le Suroit ship during the First ISCCP Regional Experiment Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (FIRE ASTEX) from June 1 to June 20, 1992. The dataset contains three sets of interpolated sounding data at 5-second, 20-meter, and 2-millibar resolutions, with each file including launch metadata and up to 1500 data lines per sounding. It was produced by the LARC_ASDC organization to improve understanding of marine stratocumulus cloud systems and their parameterizations in general circulation models.

Use Cases

• Analyze the relationship between ascent_rate, height, and pressure to study atmospheric stability profiles during cloud transitions.
• Model temperature and dew_point gradients to investigate thermodynamic processes within marine stratocumulus layers.
• Correlate wind_speed_and_direction with relative_humidity to understand moisture advection and its role in cloud life cycles.
• Validate general circulation model (GCM) parameterizations using high-resolution time-series data of mixing_ratio and temperature.
• Study the temporal evolution of cloud properties using the minutes and seconds_past_launch timestamps from sequential soundings.

Strengths

• Data collection covers a focused 20-day field campaign during June 1992, a key period for stratocumulus studies.
• Each sounding provides up to 1500 data points across 10 measured variables, including pressure, temperature, and humidity.
• Data is provided at three specific interpolation levels (5-second, 20-meter, 2-millibar) for different analysis needs.

Limitations

• The dataset is temporally limited to a single 20-day period in 1992, which may not represent seasonal or interannual variability.
• Spatial coverage is restricted to the ship track of the Le Suroit during the experiment, limiting geographic generalizability.
• The total number of soundings (rows) is unspecified, making it difficult to assess the sample size for statistical analysis.

Provenance

Source

LARC_ASDC (NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center).

Collection Method

Collected via radiosonde launches from the research vessel Le Suroit during the FIRE ASTEX field campaign.

Time Range

June 1, 1992 to June 20, 1992.

Freshness

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Geography

Atlantic Ocean region covered by the Le Suroit ship track during the FIRE ASTEX experiment.