First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX

The 1992 Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX) collected airborne data to study cloud and radiation processes. The dataset contains turbulence and mean state measurements from a Fokker F27 aircraft, including wind, temperature, humidity, and flux data over the eastern North Atlantic Ocean. It was produced by NASA and French research groups as part of the SOFIA program.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite-derived heat and momentum flux estimates based on the nested-box measurement strategy described.
• Improve cloud life cycle models in GCMs based on the study of marine stratocumulus systems.
• Analyze turbulence and energy transfer in the atmospheric boundary layer based on fast-response sensor data for wind, temperature, and moisture.
• Investigate spatial inhomogeneity of fluxes based on coordinated satellite, airborne, and surface observations.

Strengths

• Data is part of a coordinated, multi-instrument field campaign combining satellite, airborne, and surface observations.
• Includes fast-response turbulence measurements from sensors on a 5-meter nose boom.
• Produced by NASA and multiple French research institutions, including CRPE, LMD, and IFREMER.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files are in specialized formats (BIN, TAR, ISO), requiring specific tools for access.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Aircraft-based measurements from a Fokker F27 equipped with flux packages and a Lidar during the ASTEX field campaign.

Time Range

June 1992

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:46:42.408661; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Eastern North Atlantic Ocean