DISCOVER-AQ Colorado: Airborne Atmospheric Mapper Data for Denver

DISCOVER-AQ_Colorado_AircraftRemoteSensing_B200_ACAM_Data contains remotely sensed atmospheric data collected by NASA's Airborne Compact Atmospheric Mapper (ACAM) onboard a B-200 aircraft during the Denver deployment of the DISCOVER-AQ field study. The dataset was produced by NASA Langley, Goddard, and Ames Research Centers along with universities as part of a four-year campaign to improve satellite monitoring of air quality. Data collection is complete for the Denver deployment in 2014.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite column observations of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde based on surface-level aircraft measurements.
• Analyze diurnal variability of atmospheric pollutants using vertically resolved observations.
• Study horizontal scales of variability, such as urban plumes and steep gradients, in targeted regions violating air quality standards.
• Diagnose ground-level conditions influencing air quality by combining airborne remote sensing with surface monitoring data.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete for the Denver deployment, providing a finalized dataset.
• Part of a multi-year, multi-institution campaign (NASA Langley, Goddard, Ames, and universities) with coordinated airborne and ground-based observations.
• Targeted observations in regions violating National Ambient Air Quality Standards, providing context for public health studies.

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 Denver deployment only; other DISCOVER-AQ regions are separate datasets.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Remotely sensed data collected by the Airborne Compact Atmospheric Mapper (ACAM) onboard NASA's B-200 aircraft.

Time Range

Data collection corresponds to the Denver deployment in 2014.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:21:51.296608; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Denver, Colorado, USA.