Data Summary Announcement for the
release of the CALIPSO Lidar Level 2 Polar Stratospheric Cloud Mask Product Version 2.00, March 04, 2022
Data Release Date:March 04, 2022 Version: 2.00 Data Date Range: June 13, 2006 to March 21, 2021
The CALIPSO mission team, in collaboration with the Atmospheric Science Data
Center (ASDC) at NASA Langley Research Center, announces the release of a new
CALIOP Level 2 Polar Stratospheric Cloud (PSC) Mask Daily Product:
CAL_LID_L2_PSCMask-Standard-V2-00
The CALIPSO Lidar Level 2 Polar Stratospheric Cloud data product ensemble
describes the spatial distribution, optical properties, and composition of PSC layers
observed by the CALIPSO lidar (CALIOP). The product contains profiles of PSC presence,
composition, optical properties, and meteorological information on a uniform 5-km horizontal x 180-m
vertical grid along CALIPSO orbit tracks. Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) measurements
of the primary PSC condensable vapors HNO3 and H2O and
several parameters from the Aura MLS V2 Derived Meteorological Products (DMPs)
are also included in the V2 PSC data product ensemble. Validation of the Level 2
PSC products is an on-going process. In the absence of simultaneous in situ particle
observations, the CALIOP PSC detection and composition classification scheme can
only be evaluated through comparison with other remote measurements that provide
information on particle composition. All studies to date indicate that the PSC
detection and composition algorithms are performing well.
Information about this new data product including data availability, user
documentation and quality statements, relevant links, sample read software, and
tools for working with the data, etc. can be found at the following ASDC link: https://asdc.larc.nasa.gov.
