ATom Aircraft Measurements of Atmospheric Trace Gases

Concentrations of gas-phase organic and inorganic analytes measured by the Caltech Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (CIT-CIMS) aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft during four ATom campaigns. The instrument employs CF3O-ion chemistry with two independent mass spectrometers for sensitive measurements. The dataset includes specific measurements for hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen cyanide, nitric acid, methyl hydrogen peroxide, peroxyacetic acid, peroxynitric acid, and sulfur dioxide.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the global distribution and variability of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a key atmospheric oxidant.
• Studying the sources and sinks of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitric acid (HNO3) across remote ocean and polar regions.
• Investigating the atmospheric budget and transport of hydrogen cyanide (HCN), a biomass burning tracer.
• Model validation for concentrations of organic peroxides like methyl hydrogen peroxide (CH3OOH) and peroxyacetic acid (C2O3H4).
• Examining the formation and fate of peroxynitric acid (HO2NO2) in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.

Strengths

• Measurements are derived from a sensitive, specific instrument employing two independent mass spectrometers (compact time-of-flight and triple quadrupole).
• Data collection spans four distinct ATom (Atmospheric Tomography) campaigns, providing broad spatial and temporal sampling.
• Concentrations are provided for seven specific atmospheric trace gases, including key oxidants and tracers.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, column names, and dataset size are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one listing 2018-05-21 and others listing 2026-03 -13.

Provenance

Source

California Institute of Technology (CIT) Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (CIT-CIMS) flown on the NASA DC-8 aircraft.

Collection Method

In situ measurements using CF3O-ion chemistry with two independent mass spectrometers.

Time Range

The period covering four ATom campaigns.

Freshness

2026-03-13 08:29:17.511664

Geography

Global, sampled via NASA DC-8 aircraft flights during ATom missions.