NSF/NCAR C-130 Cloud Particle Imager (CPI) Data

The Cloud Particle Imager captures high-resolution images (pixel size 2.3 microns) using a CCD camera. The CPI has two Particle Detector Sensor lasers that instruct the camera to capture an image. For RICO the CPI was put on "random mode" during cloud work usually between the 2 sets of circles during the day's C-130 flight. In random mode the CCD camera flashes at its maximum frame rate usually 74 frames per second. This enabled the CPI to capture much more particle images since it will image anything within the sample volume at that moment. It also allows for a better determination of the sample volume and concentration since it is constantly recording and not relying on lasers to detect particles beforehand, which cannot detect every particle passing through the sample volume. The sample area of the CPI is 1024x1024 pixels(@2.3 micron = 2.4 microns squared).

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Temporal Range

  • Begin:  2004-12-07T00:00:00Z
    End:  2005-01-24T23:59:59Z

Keywords

Resource Type dataset
Temporal Range Begin 2004-12-07T00:00:00Z
Temporal Range End 2005-01-24T23:59:59Z
Temporal Resolution N/A
Bounding Box North Lat 21.00000
Bounding Box South Lat 15.00000
Bounding Box West Long -72.00000
Bounding Box East Long -55.00000
Spatial Representation N/A
Spatial Resolution N/A
Related Links

Documentation #1 : 2005_CPIview_Manual.pdf

Documentation #2 : rico_readme.txt

87.048 : is a companion to dataset 87.006
Additional Information N/A
Resource Format Binary (application/octet-stream)
IDL Save/Restore file (application/octet-stream)
JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) (image/jpeg)
Standardized Resource Format Binary
Image
Asset Size 2519 MB
Legal Constraints

none
Access Constraints none
Software Implementation Language N/A

Resource Support Name EOL Data Support
Resource Support Email datahelp@eol.ucar.edu
Resource Support Organization N/A
Distributor N/A
Metadata Contact Name EOL Data Support
Metadata Contact Email datahelp@eol.ucar.edu
Metadata Contact Organization N/A

Author Bradley A. Baker
Publisher N/A
Publication Date 2008-10-10T15:39:14
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) https://doi.org/10.26023/38TP-4NHM-P803
Alternate Identifier 87.006
Resource Version 1.0
Topic Category climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere
Progress completed
Metadata Date 2025-10-07T21:47:01Z
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.eol::87.006
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Bradley A. Baker. (2008). NSF/NCAR C-130 Cloud Particle Imager (CPI) Data. 1.0. https://doi.org/10.26023/38TP-4NHM-P803. Accessed 07 November 2025.

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