SCAR_A_ER2_MAS data are Sulfates, Clouds and Radiation America (SCARA) NASA ER2 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) Airborne Simulator (MAS) Data in Hierarchical Data Format (HDF).Smoke/Sulfates, Clouds and Radiation - America (SCAR-A) data include physical and chemical components of the Earth's surface, the atmosphere and the radiation field collected in the eastern part of the United States with an emphasis in air pollution.The primary objective of the SCAR-A experiment was to help scientists characterize the the relationship between sulfate particles and clouds' reflective properties. Sulfate aerosols are believed to provide condensation nuclei, resulting in smaller, more numerous droplets within a cloud. SCAR-A was the first in a series of experiments. It was was followed by the SCAR-C experiment conducted over California in 1994. A third experiment, SCAR-B was conducted in Brazil during August and September 1995. The MODIS Airbourne Simulator (MAS) is a modified Daedalus Wildfire scanning spectrometer which flies on a NASA ER-2 and provides spectral information similar to that provided by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), launched on Terra (EOS AM-1) in 1999 and Aqua (EOS PM-1) in 2002. The MAS spectrometer acquires high spatial resolution imagery in the wavelength range of 0.55 to 14.3 microns. A total of 50 spectral bands are available in this range, and the digitizer can be configured to collect data from any 12 of these bands. The digitizer was configured with four 10-bit channels and seven 8-bit channels. The MAS spectrometer was mated to a scanner subassembly which collected image data with an IFOV of 2.5 mrad, giving a ground resolution of 50 meters from 20000 meters altitude, and a cross track scan width of 85.92 degrees. The data granules were written using the self documenting file storage format provided through the netCDF interface routines included in the HDF libraries.

The objectives for the SCAR mission are to advance our knowledge of how the physical, chemical and radiative processes in our atmosphere are affected by sulfate aerosol and smoke from biomass burning; to improve our expertise at remotely sensing smoke, water vapor, clouds, vegetation and fires; and to assess the effects of deforestation and biomass burning on tropical landscapes. The SCAR-B campaign occurred in Brazil.

SCAR_B_G8_FIRE data are Smoke/Sulfates, Clouds and Radiation Experiment in Brazil, GOES-8 ABBA Diurnal Fire Product (1995 Fire Season) data.Smoke/Sulfates, Clouds and Radiation - Brazil (SCAR-B) data include physical and chemical components of the Earth's surface, the atmosphere and the radiation field collected in Brazil with an emphasis in biomass burning. SCAR-B, the third SCAR experiment, was completed in September 1995, studied the effects of biomass burning on atmospheric processes and aids in the preparation of new techniques for remote sensing of these processes from space.The objectives for the SCAR mission are: to advance our knowledge of how the physical, chemical and radiative processes in our atmosphere are affected by sulfate aerosol and smoke from biomass burning; to improve our expertise at remotely sensing smoke, water vapor, clouds, vegetation and fires; and to assess the effects of deforestation and biomass burning on tropical landscapes.The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has produced diurnal GOES-8 derived fire products for the 1995 fire season (June-October 1995) with version 5.5 of the GOES-8 Automated Biomass Burning Algorithm (ABBA). The diurnal fire products were produced for 1145, 1445, 1745, and 2045 UTC coinciding with peak burning hours.The GOES-8 Automated Biomass Burning Algorithm (ABBA) fire products are derived from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-8 imager radiances from bands 1 (visible), 2 (3.9 micron), and 4 (11 micron).

SCAR_B_AERONET data are Smoke, Clouds and Radiation Brazil (SCARB) Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) data for aerosol characterization.Smoke/Sulfates, Clouds and Radiation - Brazil (SCAR-B) data include physical and chemical components of the Earth's surface, the atmosphere and the radiation field collected in Brazil with an emphasis in biomass burning.The objectives for the SCAR mission are: to advance our knowledge of how the physical, chemical and radiative processes in our atmosphere are affected by sulfate aerosol and smoke from biomass burning; to improve our expertise at remotely sensing smoke, water vapor, clouds, vegetation and fires; and to assess the effects of deforestation and biomass burning on tropical landscapes.AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) is an optical ground based aerosol monitoring network and data archive supported by NASA's Earth Observing System and expanded by federation with many non-NASA institutions. The network hardware consists of identical automatic sun-sky scanning spectral radiometers owned by national agencies and universities. Data from this collaboration provides globally distributed near real time observations of aerosol spectral optical depths, aerosol size distributions, and precipitable water in diverse aerosol regimes. The data undergo preliminary processing (real time data), reprocessing (final calibration ~6 mo. after data collection), quality assurance, archiving and distribution from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center master archive and several identical data bases maintained globally. The data provide algorithm validation of satellite aerosol retrievals and as well as characterization of aerosol properties that are unavailable from satellite sensors.