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

NASA's DISCOVER-AQ campaign collected surface-level atmospheric measurements to validate satellite observations of near-surface pollution. The four-year study employed two NASA aircraft and ground-based platforms, including the UMBC site, during deployments in regions violating air quality standards. This specific dataset contains data from the Maryland (Baltimore-Washington) deployment, with collection now complete.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite column observations of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde based on concurrent ground measurements.
• Analyze diurnal variability of air pollutants using surface-level time series data.
• Investigate horizontal scales of pollution variability, such as urban plumes, using multi-site ground data.
• Correlate in-situ atmospheric profiling data from aircraft spirals with ground site observations.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete for the Maryland deployment, providing a finalized record.
• Part of a major four-year NASA campaign involving multiple aircraft and ground platforms.
• Targeted deployments in regions known to violate National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• File formats include BIN, PDF, ISO, and HTML, which may require specialized tools for processing.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected at the UMBC ground site during the Maryland deployment of the DISCOVER-AQ field study, involving aircraft and ground-based instruments.

Time Range

The Maryland deployment occurred in 2011.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:13:38.284538; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Baltimore-Washington, D.C. region, Maryland, USA.