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ISCCP ON-LINE DATA FOR FIRE FIELD CAMPAIGNS

The First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) is a series of intensive field campaigns, involving coordinated measurements from surface, aircraft and high-resolution satellite instruments and organized to collect very detailed cloud measurements to improve understanding of cloud processes, particularly radiation, to improve satellite analysis methods for clouds, and to improve large-scale atmospheric model treatment of cloud processes. Because of their particular importance to the radiation balance of Earth, the focus of FIRE campaigns is on the extensive low-level and upper-level layered cloud types, referred to as marine stratocumulus and cirrus, but including cumulus and stratus with the former and altostratus with the latter. There have been four FIRE experiments since the beginning of the project in 1984: FIRE I Cirrus, FIRE Marine Stratus, FIRE II Cirrus, and ASTEX.


(SAMPLE FIRE I CIRRUS IMAGE)

FIRE I Cirrus took place from 13 October through 2 November 1986 in the upper midwest USA centered on Madison, Wisconsin. The experiment area extended from about 30N to 55N latitude and from 80W to 125W longitude.


(SAMPLE FIRE MARINE STRATUS IMAGE)

FIRE Marine Stratus took place from 30 June through 19 July 1987 off the southwest coast of California. The experiment area extended from about 25N to 50N latitude and from 115W to 160W longitude.


(SAMPLE FIRE II CIRRUS IMAGE)

FIRE II Cirrus took place from 13 November through 7 December 1991 in the central USA, centered on Kansas. The experiment area extended from about 20N to 50N latitude and from 75W to 125W longitude.


(SAMPLE ASTEX IMAGE)

The Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX) took place from 1 June through 25 June 1992 off the northwest coast of Africa near the Azores, Madeira and Canary Island groups. The experiment area extended from 10N to 45N latitude and 40W to 10E longitude.


ISCCP On-Line Datasets | Cloud Data & Products