Ground Site Data for PACE Satellite Validation at Ivanpah Playa

Sixty flight hours were planned for each of two NASA aircraft during the September 2024 PACE-PAX campaign. This dataset contains ground site measurements from Ivanpah Playa, collected to validate and refine data products from the PACE satellite mission. The data collection is complete and was organized by the LARC_CLOUD organization.

Use Cases

• Validate PACE satellite aerosol optical depth retrievals using ground-based in situ measurements from the playa site.
• Assess spatial representativeness of satellite data by comparing PACE swath measurements with coordinated ground observations.
• Refine radiometric calibration of satellite instruments by analyzing ground site data for specific target geometries and times of day.
• Study high-aerosol load phenomena over land by correlating aircraft remote sensing data with the Ivanpah Playa ground measurements.

Strengths

• Data collection involved a coordinated campaign with two specialized aircraft (NASA ER-2 and CIRPAS Twin Otter) over sixty planned flight hours each.
• Campaign was designed with specific validation objectives, including targeting high-aerosol loads and multiple aerosol layers.

Limitations

• The specific sample size, file formats, and available data columns for the ground site are not documented.
• Data is geographically focused on a single playa site in Southern California, limiting broader spatial generalization.

Provenance

Source

NASA's PACE-PAX campaign, organized by LARC_CLOUD.

Collection Method

Ground-based observations collected during a coordinated airborne campaign involving NASA's ER-2 and CIRPAS Twin Otter aircraft.

Time Range

Primary data collection occurred in September 2024.

Freshness

Data collection was completed in September 2024, and the metadata was last updated in September 2025.

Geography

Ivanpah Playa ground site, part of a campaign covering Southern and Central California and nearby coastal regions.