ASDC | DISCOVERAQ_Texas_TraceGas_AircraftInSitu_P3B_Data

DISCOVER-AQ Level 2

Entry Title: DISCOVER-AQ Texas Deployment P-3B Aircraft In Situ Trace Gas Data

Entry ID: DISCOVERAQ_Texas_TraceGas_AircraftInSitu_P3B_Data_1

Field Campaigns

Description

DISCOVERAQ_Texas_TraceGas_AircraftInSitu_P3B_Data contains in situ trace gas data collected onboard the P-3B aircraft during the Texas (Houston) deployment of NASA's DISCOVER-AQ field study. Measurements were obtained using a variety of instrumentation, including DACOM, TD-LIF, DFGAS, LICOR-6252, PTR-MS, Chemiluminescence, and Ultraviolet Pulsed Fluorescence (UVPF). This data product contains only data from the Texas deployment and data collection is complete.

Understanding the factors that contribute to near surface pollution is difficult using only satellite-based observations. The incorporation of surface-level measurements from aircraft and ground-based platforms provides the crucial information necessary to validate and expand upon the use of satellites in understanding near surface pollution. Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) was a four-year campaign conducted in collaboration between NASA Langley Research Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Ames Research Center, and multiple universities to improve the use of satellites to monitor air quality for public health and environmental benefit. Through targeted airborne and ground-based observations, DISCOVER-AQ enabled more effective use of current and future satellites to diagnose ground level conditions influencing air quality.

DISCOVER-AQ employed two NASA aircraft, the P-3B and King Air, with the P-3B completing in-situ spiral profiling of the atmosphere (aerosol properties, meteorological variables, and trace gas species). The King Air conducted both passive and active remote sensing of the atmospheric column extending below the aircraft to the surface. Data from an existing network of surface air quality monitors, AERONET sun photometers, Pandora UV/vis spectrometers and model simulations were also collected. Further, DISCOVER-AQ employed many surface monitoring sites, with measurements being made on the ground, in conjunction with the aircraft. The B200 and P-3B conducted flights in Baltimore-Washington, D.C. in 2011, Houston, TX in 2013, San Joaquin Valley, CA in 2013, and Denver, CO in 2014. These regions were targeted due to being in violation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

The first objective of DISCOVER-AQ was to determine and investigate correlations between surface measurements and satellite column observations for the trace gases ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and formaldehyde (CH2O) to understand how satellite column observations can diagnose surface conditions. DISCOVER-AQ also had the objective of using surface-level measurements to understand how satellites measure diurnal variability and to understand what factors control diurnal variability. Lastly, DISCOVER-AQ aimed to explore horizontal scales of variability, such as regions with steep gradients and urban plumes.

DOI

10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/DISCOVERAQ_Texas_TraceGas_AircraftInSitu_P3B_Data_1

Citation Styles for this Dataset

Resources and Documentation

Earthdata Forum

PROJECT HOME PAGE

DISCOVER-AQ Project Home Page

NASA DISCOVER-AQ Mission Page

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DATA CITATION POLICY

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GENERAL DOCUMENTATION

From GCMD Science Keywords:

ATMOSPHERIC OZONE > OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE > SULFUR COMPOUNDS
METHANE > CARBON AND HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDS
TRACE GASES/TRACE SPECIES
NITROGEN DIOXIDE > NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NON-METHANE HYDROCARBONS/VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS > CARBON AND HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDS
NITRIC OXIDE > NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE > CARBON AND HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDS
ATMOSPHERIC CARBON MONOXIDE > CARBON AND HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDS
ATMOSPHERIC NITRIC ACID > NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
FORMALDEHYDE > CARBON AND HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES > NITROGEN COMPOUNDS

Data Distribution

File Format(s):

ICARTT

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Spatial Information

Spatial Coverage: (S: 23, N: 43), (W: -124, E: -70)
Spatial Coverage Type: Horizontal Vertical
Coordinate System: Cartesian
Granule Spatial Representation: Cartesian

Locations

NORTH AMERICA UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TEXAS NORTHERN HEMISPHERE WESTERN HEMISPHERE TROPOSPHERE STRATOSPHERE

Temporal Information

Temporal Coverage: 2013-08-26 - 2013-10-01

Platforms

Propeller

P-3B

Lockheed P-3B Orion

TD-LIF

Thermal Dissociation Laser Induced Fluorescents developed by University of California, Berkley

DACOM

Differential Absorption CO, CH4, N2O Measurements

DFGAS

Difference Frequency Generation Absorption Spectrometer developed by University of Colorado, Boulder

CHEMILUMINESCENCE

PTR-MS

Proton Transfer Mass Spectrometer

LI-6252

LI-6252 CO2 Analyzer

Metadata Dates

Created on 2021-08-24

Last updated on 2023-09-28