ER-2 Aircraft In-Situ Meteorology and Navigation Data for PACE Satellite Validation

Southern and Central California and nearby coastal regions were surveyed by the NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft in September 2024. The dataset contains in-situ meteorology and navigation measurements from the N806NA Meteorological and Navigation Facility Instrumentation, collected during the PACE-PAX campaign. Data collection is complete and was produced by the LARC_CLOUD organization for validating the PACE satellite mission.

Use Cases

• Validate PACE satellite aerosol and cloud retrievals by comparing them with in-situ meteorological measurements like air temperature and pressure from the ER-2.
• Assess spatial representativeness of satellite data by analyzing navigation fields such as latitude, longitude, and altitude across the flight paths over California.
• Refine atmospheric correction models for ocean color data by correlating in-situ atmospheric state variables with coincident satellite overpass observations.
• Study specific atmospheric phenomena like high-aerosol loads by examining time-series of in-situ meteorological parameters collected during targeted flight segments.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete for the defined September 2024 campaign.
• Flights were coordinated with PACE satellite overpasses and other aircraft for validation synergy.
• Campaign had specific validation objectives including radiometric properties and specific geometries.

Limitations

• The dataset's temporal coverage is limited to a single month (September 2024).
• Spatial coverage is restricted to flights over Southern/Central California and coastal regions, limiting global applicability.
• The exact volume of data (row count, file size) and specific column names are unknown.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata, from the LARC_CLOUD organization.

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected onboard the NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft using the N806NA Meteorological and Navigation Facility Instrumentation.

Time Range

September 2024.

Freshness

Data last updated in October 2024, representing recent campaign results.

Geography

Southern and Central California and nearby coastal ocean regions.