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SAFARI 2000 CLOUD PHYSICS LIDAR (CPL) QUICKLOOK IMAGES AND MAPS

Entry ID: s2k_cpl_images

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Summary

Abstract: The effect of clouds and aerosols on regional and global climate is of great importance. Two longstanding elements of the NASA climate and radiation science program are field studies incorporating airborne remote sensing and in-situ measurements of clouds and aerosols. These projects involve coordination of ground based and satellite measurements with the airborne observations. The goals of the ... experiments include testing satellite remote sensing retrievals, development of advanced remote sensing techniques and fundamental advances in knowledge of cloud radiation and microphysical properties. Active lidar profiling is especially valuable because the cloud height structure is measured unambiguously, up to the limit of signal attenuation.The Cloud Physics Lidar (successor to the Cloud Lidar System) is an airborne lidar system designed specifically for studying clouds and aerosols using the NASA ER-2 High Altitude Aircraft. Because the ER-2 typically flies at an altitude of 65,000 feet (20 km), its instruments are above 94% of the Earth's atmosphere, thereby allowing ER-2 instruments to function as spaceborne instrument simulators. The Cloud Physics Lidar provides a unique tool for atmospheric profiling and is sufficiently small and low cost to include in multiple instrument missions.The Cloud Physics Lidar provides a complete battery of cloud physics information. Data products include: (1) Cloud profiling with 30 m vertical and 200 m horizontal resolution at 1064 nm, 532 nm, and 355 nm;(2) Aerosol, boundary layer, and smoke plume profiling;(3) Optical depth estimates (column and by layer); and(4) Extinction profiles. The CPL provides information to permit a comprehensive analysis of radiative and optical properties of optically thin clouds. To determine the effects of particulate layers on the radiative budget of the earth-atmosphere system, certain information about the details of the layer and its constituents is required. The effect of clouds is often referred to as cloud radiative forcing. Cloud radiative forcing, in general, is the alteration that the presence of clouds has on the energy budget. The information required to compute the radiative forcing includes the vertical distribution of short wave cross section, a parameter that the CPL provides up to the limits of optical signal attenuation.Using optical depth measurements determined from attenuation of Rayleigh and aerosol scattering, and using the integrated backscatter, the extinction-to-backscatter parameter can be derived. This permits rapid analysis of cloud optical depth since only lidar data is required; there is no need to use other instrumentation. Using the derived extinction-to-backscatter ratio, the internal cloud extinction profile can then be obtained.The CPL uses photon-counting detectors with a high repetition rate laser to maintain a large signal dynamic range. This dramatically reduces the time required to produce reliable and complete data sets.ORNL DAAC has archived CPL quicklook data samples from the SAFARI 2000 Field Campaign. The samples were provided by the CPL group at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The actual Cloud Physics Lidar data are stored at the CPL Web Site at NASA GSFC and can be accessed at [http://virl.gsfc.nasa.gov/cpl/safari2000_pass.htm]. Data users are asked to read and abide by the CPL data usage policy found at [http://virl.gsfc.nasa.gov/cpl/cpl_register.htm]. For systems specifications and other information regarding Cloud Physics Lidar, please visit the Cloud Physics Lidar Home Page at [http://cpl.gsfc.nasa.gov/].

Related URL

Link: GET DATA

Geographic Coverage

(Click for Interactive Map)

Spatial coordinates

N: 5.0

S: -35.0

E: 60.0

W: 5.0

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 1984-10-06

Stop Date: 1984-10-13

Location Keywords

VERTICAL LOCATION > TROPOSPHERE

Science Keywords

ATMOSPHERE > AIR QUALITY > CARBON MONOXIDE

ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY > CARBON AND HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDS > CARBON DIOXIDE

ISO Topic Category

CLIMATOLOGY/METEOROLOGY/ATMOSPHERE

ENVIRONMENT

Platform

SPACE SHUTTLES

STS-41G > Space Transport System STS-41G

Instrument

GFC RADIOMETER > Gas Filter Correlated Radiometer

MAPS > Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellite

Project

EOSDIS > Earth Observing System Data Information System

MAPS > Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites

ESIP > Earth Science Information Partners Program

Ancillary Keywords

EOSDIS

LBA

Originating Center

LARC_DAAC

Data Center

Atmospheric Science Data Center, Science Directorate, Langley Research Center, NASA

Data Center URL: http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/
Dataset ID: MAPS_OSTA3_COSEC_HDF

Data Center Personnel
Name: ASDC USER SERVICES Phone: 757-864-8656 Fax: 757-864-8807 Email: larc-asdc-uds at lists.nasa.gov Contact Address: NASA Langley Atmospheric Science Data Center User and Data Services NASA Langley Research Center 2 South Wright Street Mail Stop 157D Building 1268C City: Hampton Province or State: VA Postal Code: 23681-2199 Country: USA

Distribution

Distribution Media: Online (FTP)

Distribution Size: (per file) 15.8 MB

Distribution Format: NETCDF

Fees: None

Personnel

RICHARD DE JEU

Role: INVESTIGATOR

Phone: +31 20 598 7287

Email: Richard.de.jeu at falw.vu.nl

Contact Address:

Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences

Department of Hydrology and Geo-environmental Sciences

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

City: 1081 HV Amsterdam

Country: The Netherlands

GES DISC HELP DESK SUPPORT GROUP

Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT

Phone: 301-614-5224

Fax: 301-614-5268

Email: gsfc-help-disc at lists.nasa.gov

Contact Address:

Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center

Code 610.2

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

City: Greenbelt

Province or State: MD

Postal Code: 20771

Country: USA

Publications/References

Owe, M., R. de Jeu, and T. Holmes (2008), Multisensor historical climatology of satellite-derived global land surface moisture, Journal of Geophysical Research, 113, F01002, 17 pp., doi:10.1029/2007JF000769

Extended Metadata Properties

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Creation and Review Dates

DIF Creation Date: 2012-05-04

Last DIF Revision Date: 2012-05-10

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