Lidar data from the First ISCCP Regional Experiments (FIRE) Cirrus Phase II campaign, collected by the Langley Research Center's eight-inch, dual-channel polarization-sensitive lidar. The dataset was created to improve cloud and radiation parameterizations for general circulation models. Observations were made during an intensive field period in southeastern Kansas from November 13 to December 7, 1991.
Use Cases
- Analyze cloud altitude and structure between 3 km and 18 km using calibrated backscatter profiles.
- Study cloud phase and particle orientation by comparing parallel and perpendicular polarization signal components.
- Validate and improve General Circulation Model (GCM) cloud parameterizations with high-resolution lidar observations.
- Investigate cirrus cloud life cycles and radiative properties during the November-December 1991 field campaign.
Strengths
- Provides dual-channel polarization data for each laser pulse, enabling analysis of particle orientation.
- Designed for optimal cloud monitoring within a specific 3 km to 18 km altitude range.
- Data is coordinated with satellite, airborne, and surface observations from a defined field campaign.
Limitations
- Temporal coverage is limited to a single intensive field period lasting approximately 25 days in late 1991.
- Geographic scope is focused on a specific region in southeastern Kansas, limiting generalizability.
- The dataset's age may mean data formats and metadata standards are not modern.
Provenance
- Source
- Langley Research Center (LARC) Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC).
- Collection Method
- Collected using a ground-based, frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser lidar with an eight-inch Cassegrainian telescope receiver.
- Time Range
- 1991-11-13 to 1991-12-07
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Southeastern Kansas, United States.