FIREX-AQ GCAS: Remotely Sensed Fire Plume Data from ER-2 Aircraft

Remotely sensed data collected by the GEOstationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) Airborne Simulator (GCAS) onboard the ER-2 aircraft during the FIREX-AQ campaign. The campaign was a NOAA/NASA interagency study of North American fires conducted during summer 2019. The ER-2 payload included 8 satellite analog instruments providing fire temperature, plume heights, and vegetation/soil albedo information.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite fire detection algorithms based on high-resolution airborne remote sensing data.
• Model chemical transformation of wildfire plumes downwind based on trace gas and aerosol emission measurements.
• Estimate fire emissions and relate them to fuel and fire conditions at the point of emission.
• Analyze the conditions relating to plume rise and its impact on local weather and air quality.

Strengths

• Data originates from a major NOAA/NASA interagency campaign (FIREX-AQ) with coordinated aircraft and ground measurements.
• ER-2 payload included 8 satellite analog instruments, providing multiple observational perspectives.
• Campaign focused on detailed sampling of both wildfires and prescribed fires across multiple locations.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files include non-standard formats (BIN, ISO) which may require specialized tools for access.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Remotely sensed data collected by the GCAS instrument onboard the NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft.

Time Range

Summer 2019

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:57:47.417295; freshness should be verified.

Geography

North America, with specific operations from Boise, Idaho and Salina, Kansas.