Aircraft Measurements of Cirrus Cloud Properties at 24 Hertz

Time-series data from the University of North Dakota's Citation II research aircraft during the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Cirrus Phase I field campaign. The dataset contains 24 Hertz measurements of sixteen variables, including pitot pressure, vertical wind, air temperature, and wind velocity. It was collected during an intensive field observation period from November 13 to December 7, 1991, by the NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the relationship between vertical acceleration, vertical wind, and static pressure to study atmospheric turbulence and cloud dynamics.
• Correlating air temperature from the Rosemount sensor with wind velocity and direction to investigate thermodynamic properties within cirrus clouds.
• Using pitot pressure measurements from the nose and wing probes to calibrate aircraft airspeed data and assess flow disturbance.
• Validating satellite-derived cloud properties by comparing with in-situ measurements like air temperature and wind metrics.
• Studying aircraft attitude and airflow using angle of attack and angle of sideslip data in conjunction with true heading.

Strengths

• High temporal resolution data recorded at 24 Hertz for detailed process studies.
• Contains 16 distinct physical and meteorological variables per record.
• Data originates from a dedicated research aircraft with specialized modifications for atmospheric measurement.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a single field campaign from late 1991.
• Geographic coverage is restricted to the southeastern Kansas region during the collection period.
• The dataset's age may limit direct applicability to contemporary climate models without consideration of historical context.

Provenance

Source

NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center (LARC_ASDC).

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected by instrumented Cessna Citation II aircraft (N77ND) operated by the University of North Dakota.

Time Range

November 13 to December 7, 1991.

Freshness

Data last updated on December 7, 1991, representing a historical snapshot.

Geography

Southeastern Kansas, United States, during the second Cirrus Intensive Field Observation (IFO).