The UK Meteorological Office Meteorological Research Flight (MRF) dataset contains atmospheric measurements collected from a specially instrumented C-130 Hercules aircraft. Data includes ozone, nitrogen oxides, water vapor, aerosols, wind, position, and temperature, supplemented by project-specific instruments. The aircraft operates at altitudes up to 10 km with a 12-hour flight duration, and data from NERC-funded flights is held by the British Atmospheric Data Centre (BADC).
Use Cases
- Modeling atmospheric chemistry and transport based on ozone and nitrogen oxide measurements.
- Studying aerosol-cloud interactions and radiative forcing based on aerosol concentration data.
- Analyzing wind patterns and atmospheric dynamics based on wind and temperature profiles.
- Validating satellite-derived atmospheric data based on in-situ aircraft measurements.
Strengths
- Data is collected from a well-instrumented research aircraft, providing direct in-situ measurements.
- The C-130 aircraft has a maximum working altitude of 10 km and 12-hour flight endurance, enabling extensive sampling.
- Core measurements include key atmospheric variables like ozone, nitrogen oxides, water vapor, and aerosols.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count and dataset scale are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
Provenance
- Source
- UK Meteorological Office (UKMO) via the British Atmospheric Data Centre (BADC).
- Collection Method
- In-situ measurements collected from a C-130 Hercules aircraft operated by the Met Office's Meteorological Research Flight.
- Time Range
- null
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Likely covers regions where UKMO research flights operate, including the UK and surrounding areas.