FIRE ASTEX: Meteosat Satellite Data for Atlantic Stratocumulus Clouds

June 1-28, 1992 satellite data from the Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX), part of the First ISCCP Regional Experiments (FIRE). The dataset from NASA includes METEOSAT imagery to study marine stratocumulus cloud life cycles and properties, combining satellite, airborne, and surface observations with modeling.

Use Cases

• Validate cloud parameterizations in climate models based on high-resolution satellite observations.
• Study the life cycle and radiative properties of marine stratocumulus clouds based on coordinated field observations.
• Investigate relationships between ISCCP data and higher-resolution cloud data as described in the experiment goals.

Strengths

• Data is from a coordinated field experiment combining satellite, airborne, and surface observations.
• Focuses on a specific, well-documented meteorological phenomenon (marine stratocumulus) during a defined period.
• Part of a larger, multi-experiment program (FIRE) designed to improve climate models.

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 temporal and geographic bias inherent to the specific 1992 field campaign.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Coordinated satellite (METEOSAT), airborne, and surface observations collected during an intensive field-observation period.

Time Range

June 1 to June 28, 1992

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:47:28.988299; freshness should be verified

Geography

Eastern North Atlantic Ocean, specifically the ASTEX region.