FIRE Phase II Cirrus: Colorado State University Wind Profiler Data from Kansas, 1991

From November 12 to December 7, 1991, Colorado State University collected wind profiler data at a power plant in Parsons, Kansas, as part of the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Phase II Cirrus Intensive Field Observations. The data were produced by CSU's Department of Atmospheric Sciences for NASA to improve understanding of cirrus cloud life cycles and their interaction with radiation. The dataset aims to enhance data products and parameterizations used in general circulation models (GCMs).

Use Cases

• Validate and improve general circulation model (GCM) parameterizations for cirrus clouds based on coordinated field observations.
• Study the interaction between physical processes and radiative properties in cirrus cloud life cycles based on the FIRE program goals.
• Correlate high-resolution wind profile data with satellite observations from the ISCCP program to investigate data interrelationships.
• Analyze atmospheric wind structure and dynamics during a specific cirrus intensive field observation period in late 1991.

Strengths

• Data collected during a defined intensive field observation (IFO) period from November 12 to December 7, 1991.
• Part of a coordinated multi-instrument mission combining satellite, airborne, and surface observations for cloud system investigation.
• Produced by a specific academic department (Colorado State University Department of Atmospheric Sciences) for a NASA-led experiment.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale statistical modeling.
• Data is from a single location (Parsons, Kansas) and a narrow time window, limiting geographic and temporal generalizability.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Surface observations collected by a Colorado State University wind profiler at the Parsons KG&E Power Plant.

Time Range

1991-11 12 to 1991-12-07

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:51:52.242551; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Parsons, Kansas, USA (37°18' N, 95°07' W).