NARSTO PAC2001 NRC-IAR Convair 580 Particle Count, Ozone, Meteorological Data

NARSTO_PAC2001_CONVAIR_PM_OZONE_MET_DATA is a product from the Pacific 2001 Air Quality Study (PAC2001) conducted in the Lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada. Data was collected by the National Research Council's Convair 580 aircraft between August 14 and August 30, 2001, using remote sensing and in-situ spirals to map particle distribution, ozone profiles, and meteorological parameters. The study was organized to address issues on ambient particulate matter and ozone.

Use Cases

• Calibrating and validating air quality models (e.g., UAM-V, CMAQ) based on the boundary condition profiles described.
• Analyzing urban-suburban-rural pollution gradients based on the east-west flight tracks over urban centers.
• Studying vertical atmospheric structure and particle distribution based on spiral ascent/descent data from 150-6000 m.
• Investigating nighttime plume movement based on the specific night missions flown on August 26 and 29.
• Assessing remote sensing capabilities for aerosols based on the upward- and downward-looking LIDAR backscattering data.

Strengths

• Data collection was precisely timed from August 14 to August 30, 2001, during the PAC2001 study.
• Flight patterns were designed for specific scientific purposes, including meridional legs, east-west tracks, and spirals at model boundaries.
• The dataset integrates multiple measurement types: particle counts, ozone, meteorological data, and LIDAR remote sensing.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data gathered via instrumented aircraft (NRC-IAR Convair 580) flights using LIDAR remote sensing and in-situ spiral profiles.

Time Range

August 14 to August & 30, 2001 (PAC2001 study period was August 1 to September 31, 2001).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:30:11.572863; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Lower Fraser Valley (LFV), British Columbia, Canada, with flight boundaries from 48.30' N to 49.30' N and 121.52' W to 123.50' W.