Aeolus CalVal DAWN: Airborne Lidar Wind Profiles from 2019 Campaign

NASA's AEOLUS-CALVAL-DAWN_DC8_1 dataset contains wind profile data collected using the Doppler Aerosol WiNd (DAWN) lidar instrument on a DC-8 aircraft. The data was gathered during a 2019 airborne campaign comprising five flights and 46 flight hours over the Eastern Pacific and Southwest U.S. The campaign aimed to validate the European Space Agency's Aeolus satellite mission and demonstrate the integration of wind, water vapor, and aerosol observations.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite-based wind observations based on airborne lidar and dropsonde measurements mentioned in the description
• Analyze atmospheric wind profiles and processes based on simultaneous wind, water vapor, and aerosol observations
• Compare performance of different lidar instruments (DAWN and HALO) across various aerosol, cloud, and weather conditions
• Study weather phenomena over the Eastern Pacific and Southwest U.S. based on the geographic scope of the flights

Strengths

• Data collection is complete, providing a finalized product
• Includes validation from independent instruments like expendable dropsondes and in-situ hygrometer measurements
• Campaign involved five dedicated flights totaling 46 flight hours, suggesting substantial observational effort

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data may reflect geographic/temporal bias inherent to the specific 2019 campaign period and flight paths

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected using the DAWN lidar instrument on a NASA DC-8 aircraft during a dedicated airborne campaign.

Time Range

Campaign conducted from 17 April to 30 April 2019.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:15:24.348981; freshness should be verified

Geography

Flights conducted over the Eastern Pacific and Southwest U.S., based out of Palmdale, CA and Kona, HI.