Clouds over Delhi-NCR: Three-Year Analysis of Cloud Base Height, Types, and Seasonal Variability from Ceilometer Depolarization Measurements

This dataset contains two CSV files used in the associated manuscript, as described below: 1. AWS_20220401_20241231.csv This file contains meteorological data recorded by the Automatic Weather Station (AWS) installed at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences – Atmospheric Observatory (CAS-AO), located at IIT Delhi's remote campus in Sonipat, Haryana. The file includes the following variables: Date_Time: Timestamp in Indian Standard Time (IST) Wind_Spd: Wind speed (m/s) Wind_Dir: Wind direction (degrees) Air_Temp: Air temperature (°C) Rel_Hum: Relative humidity (%) Atm_Pres: Atmospheric pressure (mbar) Global_Rad: Global solar radiation (W/m²) DiffuseRad: Diffuse solar radiation (W/m²) DirectRad: Direct solar radiation (W/m²) Rain: Precipitation (mm) The data spans the period from April 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024, with a 5-minute temporal resolution. 2. Depol_beta_CBH.csv This file contains ceilometer-derived cloud base height (CBH) data along with corresponding attenuated backscatter coefficients and depolarization ratios. The data were obtained using a Vaisala CL61 ceilometer installed at the CAS–AO site in Sonipat. The file includes the following columns: Date_Time: Timestamp in Indian Standard Time (IST) CBH1 to CBH5: Cloud base heights for up to five detected cloud layers (in kilometers) Beta1 to Beta5: Attenuated backscatter coefficients corresponding to each CBH (in arbitrary units) Depol1 to Depol5: Depolarization ratios (in %) corresponding to each CBH The dataset spans the period from November 1, 2021 to December 31, 2024. Data from November 1, 2021 to September 9, 2022, 14:53 IST is available at a 1-minute resolution. From September 9, 2022, 14:54 IST onward, data is available at a 5-minute resolution.