The AIM satellite mission has collected data since its launch on April 25, 2007, providing the first dedicated global-scale observations of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) or Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs). It offers unprecedented 5 km by 5 km resolution imagery of these clouds in the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere seasons. The mission is operated by Hampton University and NASA.
Use Cases
- Analyze PMC brightness variability over horizontal scales of a few kilometers using high-resolution imagery data.
- Model the hourly to daily variability of widespread cloud appearances using time-series observations.
- Detect and study the population of very small ice particles believed to cause strong radar echoes.
- Map the continuous layer of mesospheric ice extending from 83 km up to around 90 km using altitude data.
- Compare complex cloud structures resolved by the CIPS imager with features in tropospheric clouds.
Strengths
- Provides the first global-scale view of Polar Mesospheric Clouds over entire seasons since 2007.
- Offers unprecedented horizontal resolution of 5 km by 5 km for cloud imagery.
- Data revealed clouds can be ten times brighter in small regions than previous instruments measured.
Limitations
- Specific row counts, column definitions, and sample data are unavailable from the description.
- The description focuses on Northern Hemisphere results, with Southern Hemisphere observations nearing completion, suggesting potential initial geographic bias.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) Mission, Hampton University
- Collection Method
- Satellite-based observations from the AIM spacecraft, primarily using the CIPS imager.
- Time Range
- From April 25, 2007 onward, covering multiple Northern and Southern Hemisphere seasons.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Global, with detailed observations of Polar Mesospheric Clouds in both hemispheres.