SAFARI 2000: Forecasted Tropospheric Air Mass Trajectories

From August 14 to September 23, 2000, the ETA Forecast Trajectory Model produced twice-daily forecasts for seven sites in Southern Africa. The model output consists of daily forward and backward trajectory plots at 850 hPa, 700 hPa, and 500 hPa pressure levels, provided as JPEG images with coordinate, date, and time stamps. These forecasts were used to position aircraft for sampling trace gases and aerosols during the SAFARI 2000 field campaign.

Use Cases

• Positioning aircraft for atmospheric sampling based on forecasted regions of high aerosol concentration.
• Examining three-dimensional transport in the low-to-mid troposphere during flight and ground observations.
• Analyzing the thermodynamic structure of the troposphere, including stable layers and subsidence levels.
• Predicting downwind regions of high trace gas concentrations using modeled trajectory plots.

Strengths

• Covers a specific 41-day field campaign period during the dry season of 2000.
• Provides forecasts at three distinct pressure levels (850, 700, 500 hPa) for seven geographic sites.
• Generated by NASA, indicating a reputable institutional source.

Limitations

• Core data format is JPEG images, not raw numerical data, limiting quantitative analysis.
• Metadata conflict: one platform lists a last update in 2026, while another lists the end of the data collection period in 2000.
• Column names and row counts are unknown, and the specific license is not detailed.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Output from the ETA Forecast Trajectory Model, using twice-daily three-dimensional wind fields as input.

Time Range

August 14, 2000 to September 23, 2000

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:48:42.363986

Geography

Southern Africa (Durban, Middleburg, Pietersburg, Springbok in South Africa; Maun, Botswana; Mongu, Zambia; Windhoek, Namibia)