DCOTSS: Airborne Stratospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Data from NASA ER-2 Campaign

NASA's Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere (DCOTSS) field campaign collected airborne data via instrumentation onboard the ER-2 aircraft. The campaign conducted two approximately 8-week science deployments based in Salina, KS, targeting the North American Monsoon Anticyclone region. Data collection is ongoing, with the current product featuring only the first deployment.

Use Cases

• Modeling convective transport of water vapor and pollutants into the stratosphere based on the described meteorological and chemical measurements.
• Analyzing the chemical composition of the summer stratosphere based on trace species data from instruments like UCATS, CANOE, and CAFÉ.
• Studying aerosol properties and their impact in the upper atmosphere based on data from the PALMS-NG and DPOPS instruments.
• Investigating the dynamics of the North American Monsoon Anticyclone circulation based on wind and pressure data from the MMS and analysis fields.

Strengths

• Data collected via a variety of specialized instruments (e.g., AWAS, PALMS-NG, UCATS) onboard a high-altitude NASA ER-2 aircraft.
• Campaign specifically targets a significant atmospheric phenomenon, the North American Monsoon Anticyclone, with deployments spanning early to late summer.
• Platform tags provide detailed Earth Science domain classifications for key variables like water vapor, aerosols, and atmospheric chemistry.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale analysis.
• Data collection is ongoing, and the current product only features the first of two deployments.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected via instrumentation onboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft during the DCOTSS sub-orbital campaign.

Time Range

Summer deployments (early to late summer), specific years not provided.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:00:42.332122; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Focus on the North American Monsoon Anticyclone region in the North-Western Hemisphere, with operations based out of Salina, KS.