Aircraft Cloud Physics Measurements from the 1992 Atlantic Stratocumulus Experiment

University of Washington C-131A aircraft data was collected during the Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX) from June 1-28, 1992. The dataset contains in-situ atmospheric measurements to study the transition from stratocumulus to trade cumulus clouds. It was contributed by the LARC_ASDC organization to the NASA Earthdata platform.

Use Cases

• Analyze liquid water content trends from the Johnson-Williams hot-wire probe to study cloud-top entrainment instability.
• Correlate Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe (FSSP) optical scattering measurements with satellite data to validate cloud property retrievals.
• Model diurnal decoupling effects on cloud systems using time-series aircraft data from the 28-day observation period.
• Investigate mesoscale variability in cloud thickness using in-situ measurements collected around the Azores and Madeira Islands.

Strengths

• Data collected during a coordinated 28-day intensive field observation period in June 1992.
• Includes measurements from multiple specialized probes, including the Johnson-Williams and FSSP instruments.
• Part of a larger multi-platform experiment combining aircraft, satellite, and surface observations for validation.

Limitations

• Data is described as raw and requires validation against other platform measurements for high-accuracy use.
• A known significant drift is present in the output of the primary Johnson-Williams liquid water content probe.
• Temporal coverage is limited to a single month from 1992, offering a historical snapshot.

Provenance

Source

LARC_ASDC organization via NASA Earthdata.

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected by the University of Washington Convair C-131A research aircraft.

Time Range

June 1-28, 1992.

Freshness

null

Geography

Eastern North Atlantic Ocean, specifically the area around the Azores and Madeira Islands.