FIRE87: First ISLSCP Regional Experiment - Stratocumulus

Summary

The overall goal of the International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) was to improve the understanding of satellite measurements relating particularly to the fluxes of momentum, heat, water vapor, and carbon dioxide from land surfaces. The First ISLSCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Intensive Field Observations (IFO) data gathering component consisted of separate field campaigns to study cirrus clouds over the mid-continent U.S. (Wisconsin, 1986), and marine stratocumulus clouds off the southwestern coast of California in the vicinity of San Nicolas Island from 29 June to 19 July 1987. The FIRE Marine Stratocumulus IFO (aka FIRE-Stratocumulus) was conducted to support research tasks requiring high time and space resolution of marine stratus and stratocumulus cloud systems as well as the development of parametrizations of cloud-scale processes, climate-scale based variables, and a better understanding of International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) data products. FIRE-Stratocumulus represented the most comprehensive stratocumulus observing campaign (coordinated satellite, airborne, upper air, and surface-based measurements) in conjunction with the DYCOMS (Dynamics and Chemistry of Marine Stratocumulus) program, both past (1985) and future field deployments.