SCAR-A Airborne Spectral Data on Sulfate Aerosols and Clouds

SCAR_A_ER2_MAS data contain physical, chemical, and radiation field measurements collected over the eastern United States to study air pollution. The dataset includes high-resolution spectral imagery from 0.55 to 14.3 microns, captured by the MODIS Airborne Simulator aboard a NASA ER-2 aircraft with a ground resolution of 50 meters. Data from the 1993 SCAR-A experiment are stored in Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) granules.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the relationship between sulfate aerosol concentration and cloud microphysical properties like droplet size and concentration.
• Calibrating and validating satellite-based MODIS sensor algorithms using airborne simulator spectral bands.
• Studying the spatial distribution of air pollution components over the eastern United States using georeferenced imagery.
• Investigating the radiative impact of aerosols and clouds by examining spectral flux data in visible and infrared wavelengths.

Strengths

• Data provides high spatial resolution imagery with a ground resolution of 50 meters from an altitude of 20,000 meters.
• Spectral information covers a wide wavelength range from 0.55 to 14.3 microns across 50 available bands.
• Dataset is part of a recognized experimental series (SCAR-A, -B, -C) focused on a specific atmospheric science question.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and a complete column schema are not provided by any source.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist between platforms: one states 1993-07-29, while others state 2026-03-12.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' or 'None', requiring further investigation for use.

Provenance

Source

NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center (LARC_ASDC).

Collection Method

Data collected by the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS), a modified Daedalus Wildfire scanning spectrometer flown on a NASA ER-2 aircraft.

Time Range

1993 (SCAR-A experiment).

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:18:02.973526

Geography

Eastern United States.