OWLETS-1: Ozone and Meteorological Profiles Over Chesapeake Bay

OWLETS-1_Sondes_Data contains ozone and meteorological profiles from the NASA Ozone Water-Land Environmental Transition Study field campaign. The dataset captures synchronous vertical measurements from ozonesonde launches at NASA Langley Research Center and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel sites from July 5 to August 3, 2017. It was designed to characterize pollutant gradients and fundamental processes at the land-water interface.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical ozone concentration gradients over land versus water based on synchronous sonde launches.
• Studying coastal meteorology and pollutant transport using wind, temperature, and humidity profiles.
• Validating and improving air quality models for coastal regions with detailed in-situ vertical measurements.
• Investigating the impact of land-water transitions on atmospheric chemistry and boundary layer structure.

Strengths

• Provides synchronous vertical profiles from two distinct sites (over-land and over-water), enabling direct gradient analysis.
• Part of a coordinated campaign employing multiple instruments (lidars, aircraft, drones), suggesting potential for cross-validation.
• Covers a focused, intensive observation period with twelve dedicated measurement days in July-August 2017.

Limitations

• Key metadata is missing or conflicting: row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided across platforms.
• The 'last updated' date conflicts significantly between sources (2017 on NASA Earthdata vs. 2026 on Data.gov), creating uncertainty about data currency.
• Documentation gaps exist, as the specific data format and structure of the sonde files are not described.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collected via ozonesonde launches during the OWLETS-1 field campaign.

Time Range

July 5, 2017 – August 3, 2017

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:24:44.244228

Geography

Chesapeake Bay region, specifically NASA Langley Research Center and Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel sites.