"Highest_Aerosol_Layer_Detected" of CALIPSO L3 "CAL_LID_L3_Tropospheric_APro"

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lizp_007
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"Highest_Aerosol_Layer_Detected" of CALIPSO L3 "CAL_LID_L3_Tropospheric_APro"

by lizp_007 » Fri Mar 17, 2023 5:40 am America/New_York

I can't find out how this variable " Highest_Aerosol_Layer_Detected" in CALIPSO L3 product was derived. Is it the height of the aerosol layer in L2 product? Does the variable "Lowest_Aerosol_Layer_Detected" refer to the bottom of the lowest layer of aerosol? Can the difference between these two variables represent the thickness of the aerosol layer?

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ASDC - rkey
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Re: "Highest_Aerosol_Layer_Detected" of CALIPSO L3 "CAL_LID_L3_Tropospheric_APro"

by ASDC - rkey » Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:24 pm America/New_York

Hello lisp_007,

The CALIPSO SME has provided the following response:
The description of each of these parameters noted below, taken from the data product summary for this product:

https://www-calipso.larc.nasa.gov/resources/calipso_users_guide/data_summaries/l3/cal_lid_l3_tropospheric_apro_v4-20_desc.php#highestaerosollayerdetecteddustpolluteddustsmoke

As noted these are distributive statistical parameters of the contributing L2 aerosol layers for a given grid cell ([lat, lon, percentiles]), so it would be possible to infer specific aerosol layer properties. That information can be found in the Level 2 aerosol layer files.

Highest_Aerosol_Layer_Detected [_Dust, _Polluted_Dust, _Elevated_Smoke] (3-D array)
Units: km
Format: Float_32
Valid Range: 0.0...20.0
Fill Value: -9999.0
Definition: Distribution of highest aerosol layer top altitudes detected within each latitude/longitude grid cell in units of kilometers, reported as percentile arrays. Percentiles are 11-element arrays with the first value containing the minimum layer top altitude within the grid cell and the last containing the maximum. Intermediate elements specify layer top altitudes corresponding to percentiles between 10% (element 2) and 90% (element 10). Therefore this array has size num. latitudes x num. longitudes x num. percentiles (85 x 72 x 11).

Lowest_Aerosol_Layer_Detected [_Dust, _Polluted_Dust, _Elevated_Smoke] (3-D array)
Units: km
Format: Float_32
Valid Range: 0.0...20.0
Fill Value: -9999.0
Definition: Distribution of lowest aerosol layer base altitudes detected within each latitude/longitude grid cell in units of kilometers, reported as percentile arrays. Percentiles are 11-element arrays with the first value containing the minimum layer base altitude within the grid cell and the last containing the maximum. Intermediate elements specify layer base altitudes corresponding to percentiles between 10% (element 2) and 90% (element 10). Therefore this array has size num. latitudes x num. longitudes x num. percentiles (85 x 72 x 11).

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