Atlantic Stratocumulus Wind Profiles from FIRE ASTEX Field Experiment

June 1992 data from the FIRE ASTEX field campaign, capturing wind profiles to study marine stratocumulus cloud systems. The dataset was produced by the LARC_ASDC organization using a PSU Malcolm Baldridge wind profiler during an intensive observation period in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean. It was designed to improve cloud and radiation parameterizations in general circulation models.

Use Cases

• Validate and improve GCM cloud parameterizations using observed wind profile time-series data from the marine boundary layer.
• Analyze the relationship between wind shear, derived from vertical wind profiles, and stratocumulus cloud evolution and dissipation.
• Correlate surface-based wind profiler measurements with concurrent satellite (ISCCP) and airborne observations to create multi-instrument cloud system analyses.
• Study atmospheric dynamics during the stratocumulus to cumulus transition using high-temporal-resolution wind vector data.

Strengths

• Data originates from a coordinated, multi-platform intensive field observation (IFO) period designed for model validation.
• Provides temporally resolved vertical wind profiles specific to a critical climate region (eastern North Atlantic).
• Collection period (June 1-28, 1992) aligns with a dedicated marine stratocumulus IFO, ensuring focused scientific context.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a single month in 1992, preventing analysis of long-term trends or interannual variability.
• Geographic coverage is restricted to the profiler location in the eastern North Atlantic, limiting spatial generalizability.
• Specific data volume (row count), resolution, and completeness metrics are unknown from the provided description.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Surface-based wind profiler measurements collected during the coordinated FIRE ASTEX field campaign.

Time Range

June 1 to June 28, 1992.

Freshness

Historical dataset; last updated at the end of the observation period on 1992-06-28.

Geography

Eastern North Atlantic Ocean, specific to the ASTEX field experiment site.