The First ISCCP Regional Experiment Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX) collected radiosonde data in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean during June 1992. French research groups under the SOFIA program gathered measurements of pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind to study energy transfer between the ocean and atmosphere. This dataset supports the investigation of marine stratocumulus cloud systems and their parameterization in climate models.
Use Cases
- Analyze vertical profiles of temperature and humidity to characterize the atmospheric boundary layer structure during ASTEX.
- Correlate wind measurements with surface flux estimates to study momentum transfer between the ocean and atmosphere.
- Use pressure, temperature, and humidity time-series to validate satellite-derived atmospheric products for the North Atlantic region.
- Investigate the relationship between radiosonde-measured atmospheric variables and the life cycle of marine stratocumulus clouds.
Strengths
- Data collected during a coordinated, intensive field observation period (IFO) combining satellite, airborne, and surface measurements.
- Contains specific measurements of pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind from radiosondes, providing vertical atmospheric profiles.
Limitations
- Dataset is temporally limited to a single month of observations from June 1992.
- Spatial coverage is restricted to selected points in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean during the ASTEX campaign.
- Sample size and row count are unknown, potentially limiting statistical analysis.
Provenance
- Source
- LARC_ASDC, sourced from the SOFIA program involving multiple French research institutions (CRPE, LA, CMM, IFREMER, Service d'Aeronomie, LMD).
- Collection Method
- Gathered via radiosonde (weather balloon) soundings measuring pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind at selected points.
- Time Range
- June 1992 (specifically during the ASTEX IFO from June 1 to June 28, 1992).
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Eastern North Atlantic Ocean, at selected measurement points during the ASTEX campaign.