SUCCESS Mission Utah Polarization Diversity LIDAR Atmospheric Data

Ground-based measurements from the University of Utah Polarization Diversity LIDAR were collected at the CART site during the April-May 1996 SUCCESS Mission. This NASA field program involved over a hundred participants from multiple centers, agencies, and universities to study the effects of subsonic aircraft on contrails, cirrus clouds, and atmospheric chemistry. The dataset provides detailed observations from a focused, multi-institutional atmospheric campaign.

Use Cases

• Analyzing aerosol backscatter profiles to study atmospheric particle distribution.
• Investigating the formation and properties of contrails and cirrus clouds induced by aircraft.
• Validating and calibrating remote sensing models using ground-based lidar measurements from a known campaign period.
• Researching the temporal evolution of atmospheric layers during the April-May 1996 observation window.

Strengths

• Data originates from a major, well-documented NASA field campaign (SUCCESS) with over a hundred direct participants.
• Provides temporally focused measurements from a specific ground site (CART) during April-May 1996.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData indicates recognized importance and curation.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided by any source, limiting detailed assessment.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata: Data.gov lists 2026-03-12 (likely a system error), while NASA EarthData lists 1996-05-02, creating uncertainty about provenance updates.

Provenance

Source

University of Utah Polarization Diversity LIDAR, collected for the NASA SUCCESS Mission.

Collection Method

Ground-based lidar measurements.

Time Range

April-May 1996

Freshness

1996-05-02

Geography

CART site (likely the Central Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site).