Aircraft Flux Measurements from 1987 FIFE Campaign

1987 aircraft missions collected this atmospheric boundary layer fluxes dataset during the FIFE experiment's IFCs 3 and 4. The University of Wyoming King Air used an eddy-correlation method with a gust probe to measure momentum and scalar fluxes. Data includes high-pass filtered fluctuations for variables like temperature and water vapor mixing ratio.

Use Cases

• Calculating sensible and latent heat fluxes using temperature and water vapor mixing ratio correlations.
• Analyzing momentum fluxes from earth-relative gust measurements in x, y, and z directions.
• Studying atmospheric boundary layer structure using statistics and correlations from aircraft passes.
• Comparing flux calculation methodologies using data processed with linear trend removal and high-pass filtering.

Strengths

• Data collection employs a standardized eddy-correlation method with an inertial platform and gust probe.
• Fluctuations were calculated using three distinct methods (mean removal, trend removal, high-pass filter) for analysis.
• Measurements are from a focused 1987 field campaign (FIFE IFCs 3 & 4), providing temporal specificity.

Limitations

• Column names and row counts are not provided by any source, limiting immediate usability.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date (1989-10-31 vs. 2026-03-13), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

University of Wyoming King Air missions, likely associated with ORNL_CLOUD.

Collection Method

Aircraft-based measurements using eddy-correlation with an inertial platform, accelerometers, and a gust probe.

Time Range

1987

Freshness

2026-03-13 18:36:44.527620

Geography

FIFE experiment site (likely Konza Prairie, Kansas).