DC3: In-Situ Photolysis Frequency Data from DC-8 Aircraft

The Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaign was conducted from May to June 2012 with a base in Salina, Kansas. This dataset contains photolysis rate (j value) measurements collected onboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft to investigate the impact of convective storms on upper tropospheric chemistry. Observations targeted storm inflow and the 12-48 hour period following convection across northeastern Colorado, west Texas to Oklahoma, and northern Alabama.

Use Cases

• Modeling photochemical reaction rates in convective storm environments based on in-situ photolysis frequency measurements.
• Analyzing the impact of deep, mid-latitude continental convection on upper tropospheric ozone chemistry based on campaign objectives.
• Studying seasonal changes in upper tropospheric chemistry following active convection, as described in the second science objective.
• Investigating the relationship between lightning-produced nitrogen oxides and atmospheric composition using complementary campaign data.

Strengths

• Data collection is explicitly stated as complete.
• Campaign utilized multiple platforms including the NASA DC-8, NSF/NCAR GV aircraft, ground-based radar, and satellite instruments.
• Observations cover a wide geographic sample across three distinct U.S. regions to sample different storm types.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files include non-tabular formats like BIN, XML, ISO, HTML, and PDF, which may require specialized tools for processing.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected onboard the DC-8 aircraft during the DC3 field campaign.

Time Range

May to June 2012

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:12:19.166344; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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