Comparing to CloudSat Cloud Profiles

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Comparing toCloudSat Cloud Profiles
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

• Tutorial

www.nasa.gov
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Website

• Go to http//www.cloudsat.cira.colostate.edu/dpcst
  atusQL.php

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Information

• This website shows vertical profiles of the
  atmosphere taken by the CloudSat radar.
• After comparing your ground observation to Aqua
  satellite data, it can be useful to view these
  vertical cloud profiles to further explore the
  similarities and differences seen between your
  observation and the satellites reports.
• The profiles on this website provide useful
  information on the vertical location of the
  clouds. The comparison of your ground data to
  the satellites data will assist in adjusting the
  satellite to attain more accurate information

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• Click on a granule for the date that you are
  comparing your data with.
• A granule is one complete orbit of the satellite
  around the earth. Since the satellite orbits
  more than once a day, there are many granules for
  any day that you may wish to view.
• If the satellite does not pass over your location
  on one granule, try another. The UTC can help you
  pick. It should match close to your observation
  Universal Time.

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• This page shows the path of one granule.
• It also shows the cloud and land profile of the
  entire granule.
• The path is color-coded to match a specific part
  of the path to your location on the map.

x longitude y latitude
x distance along orbit track y altitude
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• Click on the number of the color that matches
  closest to your location.
• The map then shows you the cloud and land profile
  that spans that section of the orbital path.
• This is the cloud profile above land
• This is the layout of the ground
• This is another view to show how the
• land, or in this case water, lays
• geographically

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Interpreting the Image

• Cloudsat can even see through thick clouds
• But it cannot see dust or
• thin clouds

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Warning

• This is raw data and is not yet calibrated. The
  land profiling may appear to have steps and is
  not a smooth layout.
• The satellite only views directly under its path
  of orbit, so your observations should match the
  best on days when the satellite passes almost
  directly overhead. You can determine these days
  from the detailed SCOOL overpass schedule you
  received through e-mail.

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Overpass Schedule

• A near-overhead satellite overpass

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lan
gley Research Center Hampton, VA
23681 www.nasa.gov