Cloud encounter and particle density variabilities from GASP data

Summary statistics and variability studies are presented for cloud encounter and particle number density data as part of the NASA Global Atmospheric Sampling Program (GASP) aboard commercial Boeing 747 airliners. On the average, cloud encounter is shown on about 15% of the 52,164 data samples available; this value varies with season, latitude, synoptic weather situation, and distance from the tropopause. The number density of particles (diameter greater than 3 microns) also varies with time and location, and depends on the horizontal extent of cloudiness.