FIRE Cirrus Phase II Surface Radiation Data from Kansas Station

November 11 to December 8, 1991 data from a surface station in Kansas, collected as part of the First ISCCP Regional Experiments (FIRE) to study cirrus cloud systems. The dataset contains high-frequency, 2-minute interval point measurements from the Colorado State University Station 1 at the Parsons power plant. It was produced by the Atmospheric Sciences Division of CSU to support the FIRE Phase II Cirrus Intensive Field Observation.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived cloud and radiation products using coordinated surface observations.
• Analyzing temporal variability of surface radiation, temperature, humidity, and wind parameters at a 2-minute resolution.
• Improving physical process understanding in climate models for cirrus cloud life cycles.
• Studying the relationship between local meteorological conditions and cloud radiative properties during a focused field campaign.

Strengths

• Provides high-temporal-resolution data with 2-minute sampling over a 28-day intensive observation period.
• Data is part of a coordinated multi-platform campaign combining satellite, airborne, and surface observations for model validation.
• Its cross-platform presence on NASA EarthData and Data.gov signals recognized importance and curation.

Limitations

• Specific column names and the total row count are not provided by any source, limiting detailed analysis planning.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, listing both 1991-12-08 and 2026-03 13.
• The dataset covers only a single station and a limited 28-day period from one field campaign.

Provenance

Source

Atmospheric Sciences Division, Colorado State University (CSU), for NASA LARC ASDC.

Collection Method

Instantaneous point readings collected every 2 minutes from a surface station.

Time Range

1991-11-11 to 1991-12-08

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:46:14.672056

Geography

Parsons KG&E Power Plant, Parsons, Kansas (37°18' N, 95°07' W).