Seeing the Clouds with CALIPSO: Trajectory Modeling and LiDAR Visualization Tools

EarthzineDEVELOP Virtual Poster Session, Original

Image of a cloud taken with CALIPSO

The CALIPSO DEVELOP team at NASA's Langley Research Center developed a tool that could aid in the interpretation of CALIPSO data for researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center. The LIDAR Graphical User Interface pictured above allows users to interactively select atmospheric features of a NASA CALIPSO Browse Image.

The CALIPSO DEVELOP team at NASA's Langley Research Center developed a tool that could aid in the interpretation of CALIPSO data for researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center. The LIDAR Graphical User Interface pictured above allows users to interactively select atmospheric features of a NASA CALIPSO Browse Image.

Team Location: NASA Langley Research Center

Authors: Sarah Elder, Audrey Smith, Judith Providence, Emily Nichols, Emily Morgan, Stephen Quinn

Advisors/Science Mentors: Dr. Chip Trepte, Dr. Duncan Fairlie, Danny Mangosing, Patricia Lucker, Kathy Powell, Mark Vaughan

Abstract: Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation satellite (CALIPSO) measures the height of water droplets and aerosol particles in the atmosphere. CALIPSO data provides useful information for research into the effect of clouds and aerosols on Earth’s energy balance and environment. CALIPSO flies as a part of the NASA ‰ÛÏA-train‰Û satellite constellation. The payload consists of three instruments, including the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP), which produces the CALIPSO data used by the programs created by the DEVELOP team. The goal of the CALIPSO DEVELOP team is to make CALIPSO data easier to manipulate so that existing resources at NASA Langley can be used in other areas of need. Another goal of the team is to facilitate atmospheric and environmental research. The CALIPSO DEVELOP team worked on two separate projects. For one, the research intern developed a program for transforming pre-processed LIDAR Level 1 data from the satellite into images that could be accessed and manipulated through a Graphical User Interface. For the second, a team of research interns developed software code that could be used to track aerosol features found in CALIPSO data such as smoke clouds and cloud droplets.

Video transcript available here.