First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX) MAGE Oceanus Meteorological Data

The First ISCCP Regional Experiments (FIRE) have been designed to improve data products and cloud/radiation parameterizations used in general circulation models (GCMs). Specifically, the goals of FIRE are (1) to improve the basic understanding of the interaction of physical processes in determining life cycles of cirrus and marine stratocumulus systems and the radiative properties of these clouds during their life cycles and (2) to investigate the interrelationships between the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) data, GCM parameterizations, and higher space and time resolution cloud data. To-date, four intensive field-observation (IFO) periods were planned and executed: a cirrus IFO (October 13 - November 2, 1986); a marine stratocumulus IFO off the southwestern coast of California (June 29 - July 20, 1987); a second cirrus IFO in southeastern Kansas (November 13 - December 7, 1991); and a second marine stratocumulus IFO in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean (June 1 - June 28, 1992). Each mission combined coordinated satellite, airborne, and surface observations with modeling studies to investigate the cloud properties and physical processes of the cloud systems. The Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX)/Marine Aerosol Gas Exchange (MAGE) experiment is a multinational effort to improve our capability for studying cloud-chemistry interactions and the air/sea fluxes that affect them. The primary purpose of ASTEX (with which MAGE collaborated) was to study the factors influencing the formation and dissipation of marine clouds. The specific goals of the MAGE atmospheric chemistry experiment in ASTEX included: - Develop and test a Lagrangian strategy for studying chemical and meteorological evolution in a tagged airmass, using ships, balloons, and aircraft. - Develop and test new techniques for estimating trace-gas and aerosol fluxes across the air/sea interface by comparison with traditional approaches. - Evaluate the impact of marine and continental aerosols on the formation and dissipation of stratocumulus clouds. - Compare the impacts of natural and anthropogenic sulphur, halogens, and hydrocarbons on marine aerosol chemistry. - Gain experience with multi-national and multi-agency field experiments as a means for addressing global tropospheric chemistry issues.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field	Value
Maintainer	Earthdata Forum
Last Updated	May 18, 2026, 19:31 (UTC)
Created	April 1, 2025, 15:43 (UTC)
accessLevel	public
bureauCode	{026:00}
catalog_conformsTo	https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
harvest_object_id	fb54f4d2-bb1b-4ecf-ba70-7506bc6e0156
harvest_source_id	b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title	Science Discovery Engine
identifier	10.5067/ASDC_DAAC/FIRE/0036
license	https://www.usa.gov/government-works
modified	2026-05-14T22:12:39Z
programCode	{026:000}
publisher	NASA/LARC/SD/ASDC
resource-type	Dataset
source_datajson_identifier	true
source_hash	68dd2bbc284c2498c0b9d7466ac0225565105d1a7d4e89b1e248ccd1e7fcb385
source_schema_version	1.1
spatial	["CARTESIAN",[{"Boundary":{"Points":[{"Latitude":0,"Longitude":-25.73},{"Latitude":0,"Longitude":0},{"Latitude":41.25,"Longitude":0},{"Latitude":41.25,"Longitude":-25.73},{"Latitude":0,"Longitude":-25.73}]}}]]
temporal	1992-05-26/1992-06-23
theme	{"Earth Science"}