ATom: HR-AMS Aerosol Composition from NASA Flight Campaigns

NASA ATom Mission data provides atmospheric concentrations of separated ions from inorganic and organic species, measured by a High-Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-AMS) during flight campaigns. The dataset includes chemically speciated submicron non-refractory particulate mass at one-second and 60-second resolution, as well as size distribution data at 60-second resolution. Measurements were collected from all four ATom campaigns via impaction on a vaporizer at 600°C, followed by electron ionization and time-of-flight mass spectral analysis.

Use Cases

• Analyzing global atmospheric aerosol composition based on chemically speciated mass data.
• Studying temporal trends in submicron particulate matter using one-second resolution time-series.
• Modeling aerosol size distributions from the 60-second resolution size distribution data.
• Investigating the vertical and horizontal distribution of inorganic and organic species from flight campaign data.

Strengths

• Data is available from all four NASA ATom flight campaigns, providing global atmospheric coverage.
• Includes high-temporal-resolution measurements at both one-second and 60-second intervals.
• Produced by a major authoritative institution (NASA).

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting last-updated dates exist between sources (2026-04-10 on Data.gov vs. 2018-05-21 on NASA Earthdata).
• Row counts, file sizes, and specific license terms are not detailed.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ATom Mission.

Collection Method

Measured by a High-Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-AMS) during airborne flight campaigns.

Time Range

Covers all four ATom campaigns, but specific date ranges are not provided.

Freshness

2026-04-10 11:56:33.343961

Geography

Global, based on flight paths of the NASA ATom Mission.