DISCOVER-AQ Colorado: Ancillary Model Data for Air Quality Validation

NASA's DISCOVER-AQ campaign collected ancillary model analysis from the WRF and RAQMS models during its Colorado deployment in 2014. The data product aims to improve the use of satellites for monitoring ground-level air quality by incorporating surface-level measurements from aircraft and ground platforms. It was a four-year campaign conducted by NASA Langley, NASA Goddard, NASA Ames, and multiple universities.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite column observations of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde based on surface-level measurements.
• Analyze diurnal variability of pollutants based on aircraft and ground-based observations.
• Model urban plume dynamics and pollution gradients based on targeted airborne and ground-based data.
• Assess the performance of the WRF and RAQMS models for air quality forecasting based on campaign data.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete for the Colorado deployment.
• Incorporates measurements from two NASA aircraft (P-3B and King Air) and a network of surface monitors.
• Campaign targeted regions in violation of National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected during the DISCOVER-AQ field study using aircraft, ground-based platforms, and model simulations.

Time Range

Colorado deployment in 2014.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:22:07.406474; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Denver, Colorado, USA.