FIREX-AQ: DC-8 Aircraft Remote Sensing of Trace Gases from Wildfires

23 science flights were conducted by the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the summer 2019 FIREX-AQ campaign. The data contain remotely sensed trace gas measurements from the DOAS instrument, focusing on emissions from wildfires and prescribed fires in North America. The campaign was a NOAA/NASA interagency study to understand fire emissions' impact on tropospheric chemistry and air quality.

Use Cases

• Modeling trace gas emissions from wildfires based on detailed fire plume sampling.
• Analyzing chemical transformation of plumes downwind based on the campaign's stated goal.
• Validating satellite fire detection algorithms based on coordinated aircraft and satellite measurements.
• Studying the relationship between fuel conditions and emissions based on the overarching goal description.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete for this product, as stated in the description.
• Campaign involved 23 dedicated DC-8 science flights from multiple bases.
• Part of a larger interagency effort (NOAA/NASA) with multiple aircraft and ground stations.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Remotely sensed measurements collected by the DOAS instrument onboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft.

Time Range

Summer 2019

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:49:19.308483; freshness should be verified

Geography

North America, with flights from Boise, Idaho and Salina, Kansas.