FIRE Cirrus 1: Shortwave Radiation from 17 Wisconsin Ground Stations, 1986

The First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Cirrus 1 Surface Radiation Budget data contains down-welled global shortwave hemispherical radiation measurements. NASA collected these data from 17 ground stations in Wisconsin, with measurements taken every minute during daylight hours from October 12 through November 2, 1986.

Use Cases

• Modeling shortwave radiation attenuation by cirrus clouds based on minute-level ground measurements.
• Analyzing spatial variability of solar irradiance based on data from 17 distinct station locations.
• Validating satellite-derived radiation estimates using high-temporal-resolution ground truth data.
• Studying diurnal patterns of solar energy during the autumn period specified in the description.

Strengths

• Data collected at a high temporal resolution of one-minute intervals during daylight.
• Provides geographic coverage from 17 distinct ground stations with precise latitude and longitude.
• Covers a defined 22-day experimental period from October 12 to November 2, 1986.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from a single, short campaign in 1986; temporal and geographic scope is limited.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements taken by ground station instruments during the Wisconsin FIRE/SRB experiment.

Time Range

October 12 through November 2, 1986

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:46:42.447230; freshness should be verified.

Geography

17 sites in Wisconsin, USA, with provided latitude and longitude coordinates.