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

A 2013 field campaign in Houston, Texas, collected surface-level pollution data to validate satellite observations. The dataset contains measurements from the Manvel Croix ground site as part of NASA's four-year DISCOVER-AQ study. It was produced by NASA Langley Research Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Ames Research Center, and multiple universities.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite column observations of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde based on concurrent surface measurements.
• Analyze diurnal variability of near-surface pollutants based on ground-based monitoring data.
• Study horizontal pollution gradients and urban plumes based on targeted surface site observations.
• Improve models linking satellite data to ground-level air quality conditions based on campaign-integrated measurements.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete for the Texas deployment, providing a finalized record.
• Integrates measurements from a targeted NASA field campaign involving aircraft and multiple ground sites.
• Aims to address specific objectives for correlating surface and satellite observations of key trace gases.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Available file formats (BIN, PDF, ISO, HTML) suggest potential complexity in data access.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collected at the Manvel Croix ground site during the Texas (Houston) deployment of the DISCOVER-AQ field study.

Time Range

2013

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:13:14.079708; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Houston, Texas, United States