SCAR-B AERONET: Aerosol and Radiation Data from Brazil

NASA's AERONET network provides near real-time, globally distributed observations of aerosol properties from identical sun-sky scanning radiometers. This dataset focuses on the SCAR-B campaign in Brazil, capturing the effects of biomass burning and sulfate aerosols on atmospheric processes. The data are used for validating satellite aerosol retrievals and studying the impacts of deforestation.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite aerosol retrieval algorithms based on ground-based spectral optical depth measurements.
• Studying the radiative impact of sulfate aerosols and biomass burning smoke on the atmosphere.
• Analyzing aerosol size distributions and precipitable water in diverse, smoke-influenced regimes.
• Assessing the effects of tropical deforestation and fires on local and regional atmospheric chemistry.

Strengths

• Data is part of the standardized, globally federated AERONET network, ensuring instrument consistency.
• Undergoes a two-stage processing pipeline with final calibration approximately six months after collection.
• Provides observations unavailable from satellite sensors, such as detailed aerosol size distributions.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing: column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided on any platform.
• Source platforms conflict on the last updated date (1995 vs. 2026), casting doubt on data maintenance.
• The specific license is listed only as 'other-license-specified', requiring further investigation for use.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Goddard Space Flight Center master archive.

Collection Method

Collected by automatic, identical sun-sky scanning spectral radiometers as part of the AERONET network.

Time Range

Campaign focused on 1995, but data processing and updates are indicated into 2026.

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:53:51.962069

Geography

Brazil, with an emphasis on tropical landscapes affected by biomass burning.