DISCOVER-AQ Texas: GCAS Aircraft Remote Sensing Data for Houston

The 2013 Texas deployment data contains remotely sensed atmospheric measurements collected by NASA's GEO-CAPE Airborne Simulator (GCAS) onboard a B-200 aircraft during the DISCOVER-AQ field study in Houston. This dataset was produced by NASA Langley, Goddard, Ames Research Centers, and multiple universities to improve satellite monitoring of air quality. It focuses on validating satellite observations of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde by incorporating surface-level measurements.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite column observations of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde based on aircraft remote sensing data.
• Investigate correlations between surface-level pollution and satellite measurements based on the campaign's primary objective.
• Analyze diurnal variability of air pollutants using surface-level measurements mentioned in the description.
• Explore horizontal scales of variability, such as urban plumes and steep gradients, using airborne observations.
• Diagnose ground-level conditions influencing air quality by combining aircraft data with ground-based measurements.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete for the Texas deployment.
• Campaign involved multiple NASA research centers and universities.
• Targeted regions were in violation of National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

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 Houston deployment and does not cover other DISCOVER-AQ regions.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Remotely sensed data collected by the GEO-CAPE Airborne Simulator (GCAS) onboard NASA's B-200 aircraft.

Time Range

2013

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:20:49.284809; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Houston, Texas