ATom Mission Airborne Trace Gas Measurements from Flask Sampling

Mole fractions for over 60 atmospheric trace gases were collected using a Programmable Flask Package sampler aboard NASA's DC-8 aircraft. The Atmospheric Tomography mission conducted systematic global-scale atmospheric profiling from 0.2 to 12 km altitude across four seasons between 2016 and 2018. Flask samples were analyzed by NOAA's Global Monitoring Division and INSTAAR's Stable Isotope Lab for trace gases and methane isotopes.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal and vertical gradients of greenhouse gases like CO2, CH4, and N2O.
• Tracking the global distribution and transport of industrial halocarbons such as CFCs and HFCs.
• Investigating correlations between different trace gas species across diverse atmospheric regions.
• Studying isotopic signatures of methane to help distinguish between different source processes.
• Validating and improving the chemical transport models used in climate simulations.

Strengths

• Measures over 60 distinct trace gases, including key greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances.
• Provides global-scale vertical profiles from 0.2 to 12 km altitude, capturing atmospheric structure.
• Sampling occurred over multiple years (2016-2018) and across four seasons, enabling temporal analysis.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one listing 2026-03-13 and another 2018-05-21.

Provenance

Source

NASA Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) mission, with laboratory analysis by NOAA Global Monitoring Division and INSTAAR Stable Isotope Lab.

Collection Method

Airborne sampling using a Programmable Flask Package Whole Air Sampler on NASA's DC-8 aircraft.

Time Range

2016 to 2018

Freshness

2026-03 13 08:28:20.056430

Geography

Global atmospheric sampling via flight campaigns.