DC3 Aircraft Trace Gas Measurements from 2012 Field Campaign

In-situ trace gas data were collected onboard the NSF/NCAR GV-HIAPER and NASA DC-8 aircraft during the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaign. The campaign, led by NASA and NSF/NCAR, took place from May to June 2012 to study the impact of deep convective storms on upper tropospheric chemistry. Observations covered three primary regions: northeastern Colorado, west Texas to central Oklahoma, and northern Alabama.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the production of nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2) from lightning within convective storms.
• Studying the transport and wet deposition of atmospheric sulfur compounds (SO2) and carbon compounds (methane, non-methane hydrocarbons).
• Investigating changes in ozone (O3) and nitric acid (HNO3) concentrations in the upper troposphere 12-48 hours after convection.
• Correlating in-situ trace gas measurements with ground-based radar and lightning mapping array data from the campaign.

Strengths

• Data originates from a major, coordinated field campaign (DC3) with a clear two-objective science plan.
• Campaign utilized multiple platforms including two research aircraft (GV-HIAPER, DC-8) and ground networks for cross-validation.
• Observations provide a wide geographic sample across three distinct storm regions in the continental U.S.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset sizes are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the authoritative platform and last update date (2012 vs. 2026).
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without clear terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and NSF/NCAR.

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected onboard research aircraft during targeted flight missions.

Time Range

May to June 2012

Freshness

2026-03-13 03:12:07.931671

Geography

Northeastern Colorado, west Texas to central Oklahoma, and northern Alabama, USA.