Short Name:
CAL_LID_L2_05kmCPro-Prov-V3-40

CALIPSO Lidar Level 2 Cloud Profile, Provisional V3-40

CAL_LID_L2_05kmCPro-Prov-V3-40 is the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) Lidar Level 2 Cloud Profile, Provisional Version 3-40 data product. Data for this product was collected using the CALIPSO Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument. Data collection for this product is ongoing. This data product contains cloud profile data and ancillary data. The cloud profile product is produced at 5 km horizontal resolution and is written in HDF. Note that there is no atmospheric volume characterization associated with the cloud profile products. Also, the 1064 calibration scheme assumes that both the extinction and the backscatter from clouds are spectrally independent. Consistent with this assumption, extinction and backscatter profiles will be reported for clouds only at 532 nm. Additionally, it is important to note that the aerosol profile product extends upward to 30.1 km, while the cloud profile product ceases at 20.2. Therefore, users interested in polar stratospheric clouds will need to order the aerosol profile data product. The science algorithms used to produce the Version 3.40 CALIOP data products are identical to those used to generate the Version 3.01 and Version 3.02 products; however, some of the ancillary data used in the Version 3.40 analyses is different. All CALIOP data products rely on meteorological data provided by NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO). The Version 3.01 and Version 3.02 data products were produced using the GMAO's Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version 5.2 (GEOS 5.2) data products. 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, CALIOP, Imaging Infrared Radiometer (IIR), and Wide Field Camera (WFC). CALIPSO is a joint satellite mission between NASA and the French Agency, CNES.

Map of Earth