DISCOVER-AQ: Aircraft Merged Air Quality Data for Texas Deployment

Houston, Texas is the geographic focus of this dataset containing pre-generated merged data files from the P-3B aircraft during NASA's DISCOVER-AQ field study. The data collection is complete and was created to improve the use of satellites for monitoring near-surface air quality by incorporating crucial surface-level measurements. The campaign was a four-year collaboration between NASA research centers and multiple universities, targeting regions in violation of National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite column observations of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde based on in-situ aircraft measurements.
• Analyze diurnal variability of atmospheric pollutants based on surface-level and airborne data integration.
• Model horizontal scales of variability and urban plumes based on targeted airborne and ground-based observations.
• Diagnose ground-level conditions influencing air quality based on spiral profiling of aerosol properties and trace gases.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete for the Texas deployment, providing a finalized dataset.
• Integrates measurements from multiple platforms including aircraft, ground sites, and satellite observations.
• Campaign targeted specific regions known to be in violation of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is specific to the 2013 Texas deployment and does not include other DISCOVER-AQ campaign regions.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements obtained onboard the P-3B aircraft during spiral profiling, merged with other campaign data.

Time Range

2013 (Texas deployment).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:12:51.049182; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Houston, Texas, USA.