DISCOVER-AQ Fresno Ground Site Data for Air Quality Satellite Validation

DISCOVERAQ_California_Ground_Fresno_Data contains measurements from the Fresno ground site during NASA's DISCOVER-AQ California deployment in 2013. The data was collected by NASA Langley, Goddard, Ames Research Centers and universities to improve satellite monitoring of surface air pollution. It likely includes aerosol properties, meteorological variables, and trace gas species like ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite column observations of air pollutants based on ground-level trace gas measurements.
• Analyze diurnal variability of pollutants like ozone and nitrogen dioxide based on surface-level measurements.
• Model horizontal scales of variability and urban plumes based on data from targeted monitoring sites.
• Correlate aerosol properties and meteorological variables with satellite observations to diagnose ground-level conditions.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete for the California deployment, as stated in the description.
• Data integrates measurements from aircraft, ground-based platforms, and existing networks like AERONET and Pandora.
• Campaign was conducted by multiple NASA research centers and universities, indicating institutional rigor.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is specific to the 2013 San Joaquin Valley deployment and may not represent other regions.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected at the Fresno ground site during the DISCOVER-AQ field study using aircraft, ground-based platforms, and existing monitoring networks.

Time Range

2013

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:22:20.491034; freshness should be verified.

Geography

San Joaquin Valley, California, specifically Fresno.