PEM Tropics B: DC-8 Aircraft Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) Data

From March-April 1999, this dataset contains remotely sensed water vapor and aerosol profiles collected by the Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) onboard a NASA DC-8 aircraft during the Pacific Exploratory Mission (PEM) Tropics B campaign. The data were gathered to assess anthropogenic impacts on tropospheric oxidizing power and the role of marine sulfur chemistry in aerosol loading across the tropical Pacific basin. It is part of the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) conducted between 1983 and 2001.

Use Cases

• Validating atmospheric chemistry models using in-situ water vapor profiles and aerosol forward scatter measurements.
• Studying the impact of marine biogenic dimethyl sulfide (DMS) emissions on aerosol formation and radiative effects in the tropical Pacific.
• Analyzing seasonal contrasts in atmospheric composition by comparing with PEM-Tropics A data from the dry season (August-September 1996).

Strengths

• Data collection is complete and part of a major, multi-year NASA field campaign (Global Tropospheric Experiment, 1983-2001).
• Provides vertical profile sampling across the Pacific basin, capturing data in both the marine boundary layer and free troposphere.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov indicates established curation and importance for atmospheric research.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided in any source, limiting immediate assessment of data structure and volume.
• Metadata completeness is low; author information is consistently missing, and instrument details are described but not enumerated as data fields.
• The most recent update date (2026-04-09) appears to be a future timestamp, suggesting potential metadata management issues.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Airborne remote sensing via the Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) instrument onboard a NASA DC-8 aircraft.

Time Range

March-April 1999 (PEM-Tropics B campaign). Part of the broader GTE program from 1983-2001.

Freshness

Last updated date conflicts: one source lists 2026-04-09 (a future date), while another lists 1994-03-01 for a related but different dataset. The primary campaign occurred in 1999.

Geography

Tropical Pacific Ocean basin, with longitudinal and latitudinal surveys.