TRACE-A DC-8 DIAL Data: Airborne Lidar Measurements of Ozone and Aerosols, 1992

TRACE-A_AircraftRemoteSensing_DC8_DIAL_Data is Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) data collected onboard a NASA DC-8 aircraft during the Transport and Atmospheric Chemistry near the Equator - Atlantic (TRACE-A) campaign. The mission was conducted from September 21 to October 24, 1992, as part of NASA's Global Tropospheric Experiment, with the objective of determining the source of high ozone concentrations over the Atlantic Ocean. The DC-8 was equipped with 19 instruments, including the DIAL which measured ozone, aerosols, and ozone column, alongside other instruments measuring gases like CO2, CH4, and N2O.

Use Cases

• Modeling ozone transport and accumulation over the South Atlantic based on DIAL ozone column measurements.
• Analyzing aerosol distribution and types from nadir and zenith IR/UV aerosol measurements.
• Studying trace gas correlations (e.g., CO, CH4, N2O) with ozone levels using spectrometer data mentioned in the description.
• Validating satellite-derived atmospheric composition data with high-resolution airborne lidar measurements.

Strengths

• Data collected by a dedicated NASA DC-8 aircraft equipped with 19 specialized instruments.
• Campaign provides focused temporal coverage from September 21 to October 24, 1992, during a known ozone accumulation period.
• Includes multiple measurement types from a single platform: ozone, aerosols, and various trace gases (CO, CH4, N2O, CO2).

Limitations

• Last updated 1992-10-28 00:00:00; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

NASA's Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE), LARC_CLOUD.

Collection Method

Remotely sensed data collected by Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) and other instruments onboard a DC-8 aircraft, supplemented by ozonesondes.

Time Range

September 21 to October 24, 1992.

Freshness

Last updated 1992-10-28 00:00:00

Geography

Atlantic Ocean region between southern Africa and South America.