TRACE-A: In-Situ Aircraft and Satellite Atmospheric Trace Gas Data

The Atlantic Ocean between southern Africa and South America was the focus of the TRACE-A campaign from September 21 to October 24, 1992. This dataset combines in-situ trace gas measurements from instruments onboard a NASA DC-8 aircraft with supplementary satellite data from NOAA and TOMS instruments. Its primary objective was to determine the cause and source of high tropospheric ozone concentrations observed in the South Atlantic.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the spatial distribution of ozone precursors like CO and CH4 based on DACOM instrument measurements.
• Studying the vertical profiles of trace gases and aerosols using data from the DC-8's Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL).
• Investigating the correlation between in-situ aircraft measurements and column ozone data from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) satellite.
• Modeling atmospheric transport and chemistry to identify pollution sources contributing to the South Atlantic ozone maximum.

Strengths

• Data collection is complete, covering the entire TRACE-A campaign period.
• Integrates measurements from 19 specialized instruments on a dedicated research aircraft.
• Combines high-resolution in-situ data with broader-scale satellite observations for context.

Limitations

• Column names and specific data structure are not provided in any source, limiting immediate usability.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata (1992 vs. 2026) creates uncertainty about data currency and reprocessing.
• Exact row counts and file sizes are unknown across all platforms.

Provenance

Source

NASA's Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE), LARC_CLOUD, in partnership with the Brazilian Space Agency (INPE).

Collection Method

Collected via in-situ instruments on a NASA DC-8 aircraft and ozonesondes, supplemented by data from NOAA 10/11/12 and TOMS satellites.

Time Range

September 21 to October 24, 1992.

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:41:38.071937

Geography

Atlantic Ocean, particularly between southern Africa and South America.