First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Cirrus Phase II NOAA Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Doppler & Lidar

The First ISCCP Regional Experiments have been designed to improve data products and cloud/radiation parameterizations used in general circulation models (GCMs). Specifically, the goals of FIRE are (1) to improve basic understanding of the interaction of physical processes in determining life cycles of cirrus and marine stratocumulus systems and the radiative properties of these clouds during their life cycles and (2) to investigate the interrelationships between the ISCCP data, GCM parameterizations, and higher space and time resolution cloud data.To-date, four intensive field-observation periods were planned and executed: a cirrus IFO (October 13-November 2, 1986); a marine stratocumulus IFO off the southwestern coast of California (June 29-July 20, 1987); a second cirrus IFO in southeastern Kansas (November 13-December 7, 1991); and a second marine stratocumulus IFO in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean (June 1-June 28, 1992). Each mission combined coordinated satellite, airborne, and surface observations with modeling studies to investigate the cloud properties and physical processes of the cloud systems.The Doppler lidar data set includes wind profiles derived by the VAD method for the FIRE-II top 5 priority days (21,25,28,30 of Nov. 1991, and Dec. 5, 1991). Vertical profiles of the horizontal wind speed and direction were acquired by the lidar using a classical method commonly referred to as the VAD technique, where VAD stands for Velocity Azimuth Display.The Doppler lidar experiment objective was to obtain lidar measurements of relative backscatter signal intensity and radial velocity from cirrus clouds to study their microphysical and radiative properties. This data set provides vertical profiles (approx. 1.5 - 20.0 km agl).