TARFOX_WALLOPS_MET: Surface Meteorological Data from the 1996 Aerosol Campaign

Wallops Island ground station data from the July 1996 TARFOX campaign, which sampled the US mid-Atlantic haze plume. The coordinated experiment involved four satellites and four aircraft to measure aerosol radiative forcing under conditions ranging from clean air to pollution with optical depths exceeding 0.5. Early results highlighted the role of carbonaceous compounds and condensed water in the plume, with data used for chemical apportionment and closure tests of satellite retrievals.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite aerosol retrievals based on coordinated multi-platform measurements.
• Analyzing the chemical apportionment of aerosol optical depth from field campaign data.
• Studying gradients in aerosol optical thickness to isolate radiative effects.
• Investigating the role of carbonaceous compounds and water in haze plume composition.
• Calculating and comparing measurements of downward aerosol radiative forcing.

Strengths

• Data originates from a coordinated, multi-platform field campaign involving four satellites and four aircraft.
• Samples a variety of aerosol conditions, including pollution events with mid-visible optical depths exceeding 0.5.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA EarthData and Data.gov signals established importance and curation.

Limitations

• Column names and dataset size are not specified in any source, limiting precise technical assessment.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata (1996 vs. 2026) creates uncertainty about data currency.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' or 'None', requiring further investigation.

Provenance

Source

LARC_ASDC (NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center)

Collection Method

Ground station measurements collected during the TARFOX Intensive Field Campaign.

Time Range

July 10-31, 1996

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:33:22.382505

Geography

Wallops Island ground station, US mid-Atlantic region.