HS3 Cloud Physics Lidar Measurements of Atlantic Hurricanes

2012-2014 measurements from the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) campaign in the Atlantic Ocean basin. The dataset contains high-resolution Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) data on cirrus clouds and aerosols, collected by NASA's Global Hawk aircraft to study storm formation and the Saharan Air Layer. Data is provided in netCDF/CF format by the GHRC DAAC.

Use Cases

• Analyzing aerosol optical depth and cloud optical thickness using multi-wavelength (355, 532, 1064 nm) attenuated backscatter profiles.
• Investigating the vertical structure of high-level cirrus clouds within tropical systems with 30 m vertical resolution.
• Studying the spatial distribution of atmospheric particles during hurricane seasons to assess environmental impacts on storm development.
• Validating satellite-derived cloud and aerosol properties with high-resolution airborne lidar measurements.
• Examining the temporal evolution of backscatter features to understand the role of deep convection in storm cores.

Strengths

• Provides high-resolution atmospheric profiles with 30 m vertical and 200 m horizontal resolution.
• Covers three full hurricane seasons (2012-2014) from a dedicated NASA field campaign.
• Uses three distinct lidar wavelengths (355, 532, 1064 nm) for detailed aerosol and cloud property analysis.

Limitations

• Exact row count and dataset size are not specified across any platform.
• Sources conflict on the temporal coverage, with one stating 2011-2014 and others stating 2012-2014.
• Column names and a complete data dictionary are not provided.

Provenance

Source

GHRC DAAC (Global Hydrology Resource Center Distributed Active Archive Center)

Collection Method

Airborne measurements from the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) instrument aboard the NASA Global Hawk aircraft during the HS3 campaign.

Time Range

2011-2014 (conflict: some sources specify 2012-2014)

Freshness

2026-03-13 01:26:44.195655

Geography

Atlantic Ocean basin region.