FIRE ASTEX: UKMO C-130 Aircraft Atmospheric Measurements Time Series

Aircraft-based atmospheric measurements collected by the UK Meteorological Office C-130 during the 1992 Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX). The data is a 1 to 64 Hertz time series designed to improve understanding of marine stratocumulus cloud systems and their parameterization in climate models. The dataset is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite-derived cloud properties based on coordinated airborne observations mentioned in the description.
• Study marine stratocumulus cloud life cycles and interactions based on the high-resolution time-series data.
• Improve cloud microphysics parameterizations in climate models based on the physical process data.
• Analyze cloud-radiative interactions based on the combined radiation and cloud property measurements.

Strengths

• Data collected during a coordinated intensive field observation (IFO) combining satellite, airborne, and surface measurements.
• High-resolution time series data at 1 to 64 Hertz sampling rates.
• Part of a structured experiment (FIRE) with clear goals to improve climate modeling.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data format includes BIN and TAR files, which may require specialized tools for access.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the United Kingdom Meteorological Office (UKMO) from the Meteorological Research Flight C-130 Aircraft.

Time Range

Primary data collection from the ASTEX IFO (June 1–June 28, 1992).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:53:49.116174; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Eastern North Atlantic Ocean.