TRACER-AQ: Airborne Lidar Measurements of Aerosols and Ozone over Houston

From mid-August to late September 2021, with a second deployment in summer 2022, the TRACER-AQ campaign collected airborne lidar data over the Houston region. The dataset contains vertical profiles of ozone and aerosol properties, including backscatter, extinction, and optical depth, measured by the HSRL-2 instrument onboard a NASA Gulfstream V aircraft. These observations were part of a coordinated field study to understand ozone formation and evaluate air quality models.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived aerosol optical depth and ozone column measurements using coordinated airborne lidar profiles.
• Analyzing the vertical structure of aerosols and ozone to study pollution transport and meteorological impacts on air quality.
• Evaluating and improving the performance of regional air quality models with high-resolution observational data.
• Investigating spatial gradients in pollution around specific features like the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay.

Strengths

• Data is from a coordinated, multi-platform field campaign involving NASA, DOE, TCEQ, and academic partners, suggesting high instrument calibration and contextual data.
• Covers 12 dedicated flight days during the peak ozone season, providing targeted temporal sampling.
• Provides vertically resolved measurements, offering detail beyond column-integrated satellite data.

Limitations

• Key metadata is missing or conflicting: row/size counts are unknown, and the last update date conflicts between sources (2026 vs. 2021).
• The specific data columns and file structure are not described, complicating initial data access and interpretation.
• Spatial coverage is limited to the Houston region and Gulf Coast, not a global dataset.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Johnson Space Center (JSC).

Collection Method

Remotely sensed data collected by the High Spectral Resolution Lidar-2 (HSRL-2) instrument onboard a Gulfstream V aircraft.

Time Range

Primary period: mid-August to late September 2021. Secondary deployment: summer 2022.

Freshness

Last updated dates conflict: one source lists 2026-04-09, another lists 2021-09-29.

Geography

Houston region, Texas, USA, particularly around the Houston Ship Channel, Galveston Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico.