FIREX-AQ: In Situ Trace Gas Data from NOAA-CHEM Twin Otter Aircraft

North American wildfires were studied during summer 2019 by the FIREX-AQ campaign. This dataset contains in situ trace gas measurements from the NOAA-CHEM Twin Otter aircraft, focusing on nighttime plume chemistry. Data collection is complete and archived at the NASA Atmospheric Science Data Center.

Use Cases

• Modeling chemical transformation of wildfire plumes downwind based on trace gas measurements.
• Analyzing nighttime plume chemistry based on data from the NOAA-CHEM Twin Otter.
• Correlating fire emissions with fuel and fire conditions at the point of emission.
• Assessing satellite capabilities for fire detection and emission estimation using in-situ validation data.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete, providing a finalized record.
• Part of a major interagency campaign (NOAA/NASA) with multiple aircraft and ground-based instruments.
• Focuses on detailed chemical processing in lofted wildfire plumes.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• File formats include BIN, PDF, ISO, and HTML, which may require specialized tools for access.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

In situ data collected onboard the NOAA-CHEM Twin Otter aircraft using chemiluminescence, Picarro, CIMS, and GC-ToF-MS instrumentation.

Time Range

Summer 2019

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:48:29.619527; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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