SAFARI 2000 Aerosol Properties from Biomass Smoke

SAFARI 2000 Physical and Chemical Properties of Aerosols, Dry Season 2000 contains data from the Southern African Regional Science Initiative 2000, studying aerosol particles from savanna burning. The dataset was created by ORNL_CLOUD using analytical transmission electron microscopy on samples collected via research aircraft during the 2000 dry season. It characterizes three distinct carbonaceous particle types and their changes during aging.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the relative concentrations of organic particles, tar balls, and soot in smoke from different fire types (flaming vs. smoldering).
• Studying the internal mixing patterns of particles, such as organic/sulfate and soot/sulfate combinations, to understand atmospheric aging.
• Investigating size distributions and composition of particles in boundary layer versus upper atmospheric hazes.
• Classifying aerosol particle types based on composition, morphology, and microstructure data from TEM, EDS, and EELS analysis.

Strengths

• Data is derived from analytical transmission electron microscopy, allowing detailed characterization of particle composition and microstructure.
• Samples cover distinct atmospheric conditions, including young smoke, aged smoke (~1 hour), and regional haze layers.
• The dataset is hosted on multiple authoritative platforms (nasa_earthdata, datagov), indicating its established use in the scientific community.

Limitations

• Key technical details like row count, column names, and exact dataset size are unavailable across all sources.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' metadata, with dates ranging from 2000-09-13 to 2026-03-12 across platforms.

Provenance

Source

ORNL_CLOUD

Collection Method

Samples collected using the University of Washington Convair CV-580 research aircraft and analyzed via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS).

Time Range

Dry Season 2000

Freshness

2026-03 12 21:46:55.352519

Geography

Southern Africa