DISCOVER-AQ Colorado: Aircraft Trace Gas Measurements for Satellite Validation

NASA's DISCOVER-AQ Colorado deployment collected in situ trace gas data onboard a P-3B aircraft in 2014. The data includes measurements from instruments like DACOM, TD-LIF, DFGAS, LICOR-6252, PTR-MS, TILDAS, and Chemiluminescence. This dataset is part of a four-year campaign to improve the use of satellites for monitoring air quality.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite column observations based on in situ aircraft measurements of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde.
• Analyze diurnal variability of trace gases based on surface-level and airborne measurements.
• Model urban plume dynamics and pollution gradients based on targeted airborne observations.
• Correlate surface air quality conditions with atmospheric column observations for diagnostic models.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete for the Colorado deployment.
• Measurements were obtained using multiple specialized instruments (DACOM, TD-LIF, DFGAS, LICOR-6252, PTR-MS, TILDAS, Chemiluminescence).
• Part of a coordinated four-year NASA campaign involving multiple research centers and universities.

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 Colorado deployment and does not include other campaign regions.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

In situ measurements collected onboard a P-3B aircraft during spiral profiling.

Time Range

2014 (Colorado deployment)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:21:21.309997; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Denver, Colorado, USA