Short Name:
CAL_LID_L2_05kmCLay-Prov-V3-40

CALIPSO Lidar Level 2 5 km cloud layer data, Prov-V3-40

CAL_LID_L2_05kmCLay-Prov-V3-40 data are CALIPSO Lidar Level 2 5km cloud layer data. The Lidar Level 2 5km Cloud Layer Provisional Version 3 product reports cloud products at identical 5km horizontal resolutions, and include a full complement of diagnostic and quality assurance parameters. Major algorithm updates include a new approach to determining cloud thermodynamic phase; greatly improved separation of boundary layer clouds and aerosols; refinements to the layer base determination scheme that enable more accurate estimates of aerosol optical depth; and the use of five-dimensional probability distribution functions to better distinguish clouds from aerosols. Uncertainty estimates are now provided for all cloud properties reported in the Level 2 data products. Products include three V-data record types (i.e., metadata). The science algorithms used to produce the V3.40 CALIOP data products are identical to those used to generate the V3.01 and V3.02 products; however, some of the ancillary data used in the V3.40 analyses is different. All CALIOP data products rely on meteorological data provided by NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO). The V3.01 and V3.02 data products were produced using the GMAO's GEOS 5.2 data products. Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) was launched on April 28, 2006 to study the impact of clouds and aerosols on the Earth's radiation budget and climate. It flies in the international A-Train constellation for coincident Earth observations. The CALIPSO satellite comprises three instruments, the Cloud-Aerosol LIdar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP), the Imaging Infrared Radiometer (IIR), and the Wide Field Camera (WFC). CALIPSO is a joint satellite mission between NASA and the French Agency, CNES.

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