Atlantic Stratocumulus Experiment Tetroon Trajectory and Atmospheric Data

June 1992 data from a multinational field experiment in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean. The dataset contains Lagrangian trajectory data from constant-density balloons (tetroons) launched from the R/V Oceanus, tracking air parcels for up to 48 hours with GPS-derived location fixes. It was collected by North Carolina State University as part of the FIRE-ASTEX/MAGE program to study cloud-chemistry interactions and air-sea fluxes.

Use Cases

• Analyze Lagrangian air parcel trajectories using GPS-derived latitude, longitude, and altitude fields to model atmospheric transport.
• Study the relationship between aerosol chemistry and cloud formation by correlating tetroon path data with concurrent atmospheric measurements from ships and aircraft.
• Validate satellite positioning algorithms by examining the 'number of GPS satellites' (#sats) field and its impact on location accuracy.
• Investigate air-sea exchange processes by using the tagged airmass trajectories as a reference frame for flux estimation measurements.

Strengths

• High-resolution temporal data with location fixes attempted every 5 minutes.
• Data captures a focused, intensive field observation period during June 1992.
• Multinational experiment design combining ship, balloon, and aircraft observations for cross-validation.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a single month (June 1992).
• Geographic scope is confined to the eastern North Atlantic Ocean.
• Altitude data reliability may be compromised when fewer than four GPS satellites are available.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earth Data (LARC_ASDC), originating from North Carolina State University.

Collection Method

Field measurements from constant-density balloons (tetroons) launched from a research vessel, tracked via GPS.

Time Range

June 1992

Freshness

null

Geography

Eastern North Atlantic Ocean