ATom Airborne Campaign Data on Airflow and Aerosol Sampling

Results from three airborne campaigns—ATom, SALTRACE, and A-LIFE—conducted between June 2013 and May 2018. The dataset combines in-situ measurements of aircraft position, humidity, temperature, pressure, and aerosol particle diameters with numerical modeling of sampling efficiency. It is produced by the ORNL_CLOUD organization.

Use Cases

• Analyzing aerosol particle diameters from Cloud Imaging Probe (CIP) images to study cloud microphysics.
• Investigating sampling efficiency errors by modeling airflow around wing-mounted instruments using flight condition data.
• Studying long-range transport of Saharan dust by correlating aircraft position data with aerosol measurements from the SALTRACE campaign.
• Calibrating atmospheric models using in-situ measurements of relative humidity, temperature, and pressure from multiple campaigns.
• Assessing angle of attack (AOA) and true air speed impacts on probe data collection for instrument design validation.

Strengths

• Combines empirical data from three major NASA airborne campaigns (ATom, SALTRACE, A-LIFE) over a 5-year period.
• Includes results from numerical modeling to quantify sampling efficiency errors, adding a layer of analytical depth.
• Its presence on multiple authoritative platforms (NASA EarthData, Data.gov) signals recognized importance and reliability.

Limitations

• Core metadata like row count, column names, and exact dataset size are unavailable across all sources.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist: one source shows 2018-05 -21, while others show 2026-03-13, creating uncertainty about maintenance.

Provenance

Source

ORNL_CLOUD organization, from NASA airborne campaigns.

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected during flights combined with numerical modeling simulations.

Time Range

2013-06-10 to 2018 05-21

Freshness

2026-03-13 14:03:48.054598

Geography

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