SAFARI 2000 Airborne Cloud Absorption Radiometer Data for Southern Africa

Southern Africa is the focus of this airborne remote sensing dataset from the SAFARI 2000 project's dry season in 2000. The collection contains data from 21 flights by the NASA Goddard-developed Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR), which measures multi-wavelength radiation. It includes flight track maps, browse images, and instrument logs from a Convair CV-580 aircraft operated with the University of Washington.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the single scattering albedo of clouds using multi-wavelength radiometer measurements.
• Studying the angular distribution of scattered radiation for cloud and atmospheric characterization.
• Measuring the bidirectional reflectance (BRDF) of various land surface types in Southern Africa.
• Acquiring and analyzing imagery of cloud and Earth surface features from airborne platforms.
• Correlating CAR data with concurrent measurements from cloud microphysics, aerosol, and atmospheric chemistry instruments.

Strengths

• Contains data from 21 specific research flights, providing a defined observational campaign.
• Instrument can operate in four distinct viewing modes (starboard, zenith, nadir, BRDF), enabling flexible data collection.
• Deployed in concert with an array of complementary atmospheric science instruments, supporting integrated analysis.

Limitations

• Core dataset specifications like row count, file size, and complete column list are unavailable from all sources.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist between platforms (2000-09 vs. 2026-03), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.
• Data accessibility and structure are unclear as descriptions primarily link to a web page rather than detailing the files directly.

Provenance

Source

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Dr. Michael King) and the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington.

Collection Method

Airborne measurement collected by the Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) mounted on a Convair CV-580 aircraft during the SAFARI 2000 field campaign.

Time Range

Dry Season 2000

Freshness

2026-03-12 22:18:17.258905

Geography

Southern Africa, with historical deployments also in Portugal (Azores), Brazil, Kuwait, the conterminous United States, and Alaska.