SAFARI 2000 JRA Aerocommander: Atmospheric Trace Gas and Aerosol Data

28 separate flights were conducted by the South African Weather Bureau Aerocommander JRA between August 15th and September 7th, 2000, as part of the SAFARI 2000 campaign. The dataset is dedicated to in-situ measurements of trace gases (O3, SO2, CO, NO) and aerosol properties over various land surface types. Additional instruments on some flights collected data for MOPITT validation and volatile organic compound characterization.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-based MOPITT CO measurements using in-situ flask samples.
• Analyzing the relationship between aerosol optical properties and atmospheric chemistry using nephelometer and trace analyzer data.
• Characterizing volatile organic compound profiles over different land surface types from VOC canister samples.
• Studying the vertical and horizontal distribution of trace gases and aerosols during the southern African dry season.

Strengths

• Contains data from a coordinated, intensive airborne campaign comprising 19 missions and 28 flights.
• Includes a core suite of trace gas analyzers and laser aerosol probes present on all flights, ensuring consistent core measurements.
• Data collection is temporally focused on a specific campaign period from August 15 to September 7, 2000.

Limitations

• Column names and data structure are not provided in any source, hindering immediate analysis.
• Metadata completeness is low, with no author, row counts, or specific file sizes listed.
• There is a conflict in 'last updated' metadata between platforms (2000 vs. 2026), raising questions about provenance management.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), South African Weather Bureau

Collection Method

Airborne in-situ measurements collected via instrumented Aerocommander aircraft.

Time Range

August 15, 2000 to September 7, -2000

Freshness

Last updated metadata conflicts: one source lists 2000-09-07, another lists 2026-04-09.

Geography

Southern Africa (inferred from SAFARI 2000 campaign focus)