The Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement II (SAM II) Data set (SAM2_AERO_PRF_NAT)

SAM2_AERO_PRF_NAT data are Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement (SAM) II - Aerosol Profiles in Native (NAT) Format which measure solar irradiance attenuated by aerosol particles in the Arctic and Antarctic stratosphere.The Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement (SAM) II experiment flew aboard the Nimbus 7 spacecraft and provided vertical profiles of aerosol extinction in both the Arctic and Antarctic polar regions. The SAM II data coverage began on October 29, 1978 and extended through December 18, 1993, until SAM II was no longer able to acquire the sun. The data coverage for the Antarctic region extends through December 18, 1993, and has one data gap for the period of time from mid-January through the end of October 1993. The data coverage for the Arctic region extends through January 7, 1991, and contains data gaps beginning in 1988 that increase in size each year due to an orbit degradation associated with the Nimbus-7 spacecraft.