July 1987 data from the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Marine Stratocumulus campaign. The dataset contains cloud top height and ground height calculations from the NASA ER-2 Cloud Lidar System (CLS), collected off the southwestern coast of California. It was produced by NASA's Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center (LARC_ASDC).
Use Cases
- Validate satellite-derived cloud top height estimates using the precise lidar-based cloud_top_height and ground_height measurements.
- Analyze spatial distribution of marine stratocumulus clouds using time-series data with position (latitude/longitude) and plane_height columns.
- Study cloud system evolution by correlating cloud_top_height with temporal and positional data from the July 1987 field campaign.
- Identify clear-sky or data-gap regions using the -9.9 value flag for undetected cloud tops and ground heights.
Strengths
- Data originates from a coordinated, intensive field observation period designed for model validation.
- Provides direct, aircraft-based lidar measurements of cloud_top_height, a key parameter for radiation budgets.
- Includes positional and temporal metadata for spatiotemporal analysis of cloud systems.
Limitations
- Limited temporal coverage to a single month (July 1987).
- Spatial coverage is restricted to a specific region off the coast of California.
- Undetected values are flagged with -9.9, requiring filtering for analysis.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center (LARC_ASDC).
- Collection Method
- Airborne measurements from the NASA ER-2 aircraft using the Cloud Lidar System (CLS) during the FIRE Marine Stratocumulus IFO.
- Time Range
- July 1987.
- Freshness
- Historical dataset from a 1987 campaign; not updated.
- Geography
- Eastern Pacific Ocean, off the southwestern coast of California.