FIFE Aircraft Flux-Raw: Atmospheric Boundary Layer Measurements

In 1987, the University of Wyoming King Air aircraft collected atmospheric boundary layer data during Intensive Field Campaigns (IFCs) 3 and 4 of the FIFE project. The dataset contains raw flux measurements, where fluctuations in variables like temperature, water vapor, and wind gusts were processed with arithmetic means removed prior to eddy-correlation calculations. It includes statistics, correlations, and fluxes derived from time series data for each aircraft pass.

Use Cases

• Calculating sensible and latent heat fluxes based on eddy-correlation of temperature and water vapor mixing ratio.
• Analyzing momentum flux from correlated wind gust measurements in x, y, and z directions.
• Studying atmospheric boundary layer turbulence using high-frequency aircraft time-series data.
• Comparing flux calculation methodologies where linear trends or high-pass filters are applied.

Strengths

• Data originates from a controlled, instrumented aircraft platform equipped with an inertial platform, accelerometers, and a gust probe.
• Flux calculations are derived using the established eddy-correlation method.
• Fluctuations were processed using three distinct methodologies, though this dataset contains only the 'raw' (arithmetic means removed) version.

Limitations

• Key metadata conflicts: the 'last updated' date differs significantly between platforms (1989 vs. 2026), suggesting potential metadata errors.
• Column names and dataset size (rows, file size) are not provided by any source, limiting immediate usability.
• The license is ambiguously specified as 'other-license-specified' without further details.

Provenance

Source

University of Wyoming King Air aircraft missions, part of the FIFE project.

Collection Method

Aircraft-based eddy-correlation measurements.

Time Range

1987

Freshness

1989-10-31 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Location of FIFE IFCs 3 and 4 (likely Konza Prairie, Kansas).