TRPSDL2PANCRSAUS: Peroxyacetyl Nitrate Vertical Profiles During Australian Fires

NASA's TROPESS project provides vertical profiles of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) at 16 levels from the surface to 0.1 hPa, captured during the 2019-2020 Australian wildfire outbreak. This standard product is derived from the CrIS instrument on the Suomi-NPP satellite using the MUSES optimal estimation algorithm. Daily netCDF files offer a 14 km spatial resolution focused on the Australia region (60S-0S, 100E-177.5E).

Use Cases

• Analyzing wildfire-induced atmospheric chemistry changes based on retrieved PAN vertical distribution.
• Studying intercontinental transport of ozone precursors using the 16-level vertical profile data.
• Validating chemical transport models with satellite-derived PAN concentrations and formal uncertainties.
• Investigating the spatial and temporal evolution of PAN plumes during a specific fire event.

Strengths

• Provides specific vertical resolution with data reported at 16 discrete pressure levels.
• Focuses on a significant, time-bound event (Australian wildfires from Nov 2019 to Jan 2020).
• Data is processed using a named, sophisticated algorithm (MUSES optimal estimation).
• Has a defined spatial resolution of 14 km at nadir and a clear geographic bounding box.

Limitations

• Column names and detailed variable lists are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (2026-04 09 and 2020-01-31) create uncertainty about provenance.
• Dataset size and row counts are unknown, hindering assessment of data volume.

Provenance

Source

NASA TROPESS project, Principal Investigator Kevin W. Bowman, data from CrIS instrument on Suomi-NPP satellite.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing data processed via the MUlti-SpEctra, MUlti-SpEcies, Multi-SEnsors (MUSES) optimal estimation algorithm.

Time Range

2019-11-01 to 2020-01 31

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:35:03.968164

Geography

Australia region (60S-0S; 100E-177.5E)