TRACE-A: DC-8 Aircraft Lidar and In-Situ Atmospheric Measurements, 1992

NASA's 1992 TRACE-A campaign deployed a DC-8 aircraft equipped with 19 instruments, including a Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL), to investigate high ozone concentrations over the South Atlantic. The dataset likely contains merged in-situ and remotely sensed measurements of ozone, aerosols, CO, CH4, N2O, CO2, and atmospheric pressure from both aircraft and dropped ozonesondes. This data collection was part of NASA's Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE), conducted in partnership with the Brazilian Space Agency (INPE).

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical ozone and aerosol profiles based on Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) measurements.
• Investigating correlations between ozone, carbon monoxide, and methane to trace pollution sources.
• Studying atmospheric dynamics using kinematic trajectory and wind data from the aircraft.
• Validating satellite retrievals of atmospheric constituents with high-resolution in-situ and sonde data.
• Modeling the transport of biomass burning plumes from southern Africa to South America.

Strengths

• Data collected by 19 coordinated instruments on a dedicated NASA DC-8 research aircraft, providing multi-parameter observations.
• Campaign conducted over a focused 34-day period (September 21 to October 24, 1992) targeting a specific atmospheric phenomenon.
• Includes both in-situ aircraft measurements and vertical profile data from dropped ozonesondes.

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are unknown across all platform entries, hindering immediate analysis.
• Dataset size and row counts are not provided, making it difficult to assess scope.
• The 'last updated' metadata dates conflict, with some showing future dates (2026), indicating potential platform errors.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in partnership with the Brazilian Space Agency (INPE).

Collection Method

In-situ and remote measurements collected onboard a NASA DC-8 aircraft and from ozonesondes dropped during flight.

Time Range

1992-09 21 to 1992-10-24

Freshness

1992 - 2026-04-09 (Note: 2026 date is likely a platform error; the observational data is from 1992.)

Geography

Atlantic Ocean region between southern Africa and South America, with specific data collection in Brazil.