Description

The Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS), launched on January 10 2015, is a lidar remote sensing instrument that will provide range-resolved profile measurements of atmospheric aerosols and clouds from the International Space Station (ISS). CATS is intended to operate on-orbit for at least six months, and up to three years. CATS will provide vertical profiles at three wavelengths, orbiting between ~230 and ~270 miles above the Earth's surface at a 51-degree inclination with nearly a three-day repeat cycle. For the first time, it will allow scientist to study diurnal (day-to-night) changes in cloud and aerosol effects from space by observing the same spot on Earth at different times each day. CATS Level 2 Layer data product containing geophysical parameters derived from Level 1 data, at 60m vertical and 5km horizontal resolution.

DOI

Resources and Documentation

Earthdata Forum

VIEW RELATED INFORMATION

ALGORITHM THEORETICAL BASIS DOCUMENT (ATBD)

• CATS Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document Level 1 and Level 2 Data Products - Release 1.0 - 12 June2015

DATA CITATION POLICY

• How to cite ASDC data

GENERAL DOCUMENTATION

• ASDC Data and Information for CATS
• CATS Data Descriptions by Level

PRODUCT USAGE

• CATS Data Release Notes, L1B Version 2.08, L2O Version 2.00, L2O Version 2.01

PRODUCTION HISTORY

• CATS Data Management System Data Products Catalog
• CATS Data Management System Data Products Catalog Release 7.0
• CATS Data Management System Data Products Catalog, Release 6.0

PUBLICATIONS

• NASA Earth Observatory Article: A Slice of Cirrus
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: Blue Marble, Eastern Hemisphere
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: Dust and Clouds Dance Over the Sahara
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: Nighttime View of Raung Volcanic Plume

Keywords