Western North America Back Trajectory Data For Ozone Source Analysis

1994-2021 hourly backward simulations track air mass transport to ozone observation points over Western North America. The dataset uses the FLEXPART Lagrangian particle dispersion model driven by ERA5 reanalysis data to calculate 15-day source-receptor relationships at a global 1° x 1° resolution from the surface to 20 km altitude. It was generated by NASA's Atmospheric Composition Campaign Data Analysis and Modeling program with support from the NASA High-End Computing Program.

Use Cases

• Identifying source regions contributing to high ozone concentrations at specific receptor locations over Western North America.
• Analyzing seasonal or decadal trends in atmospheric transport patterns affecting ozone levels.
• Supporting source contribution analyses for other atmospheric components co-located with the defined ozone receptor grid.
• Studying vertical distribution of source influences across different layers of the troposphere up to 20 km.

Strengths

• Covers a long temporal range of nearly three decades (1994-2021).
• Provides high-resolution global simulations with hourly temporal and 1° x 1° spatial resolution.
• Includes detailed receptor information paired with gridded ozone value products.

Limitations

• Conflicting last updated dates exist between sources (2014-12-31 vs. 2026-03-12).
• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided by any source.

Provenance

Source

NASA LARC_ASDC, generated with support from NASA’s Atmospheric Composition Campaign Data Analysis and Modeling program.

Collection Method

FLEXible PARTicle (FLEXPART) dispersion model simulations driven by ERA5 reanalysis data.

Time Range

1994-2021

Freshness

2026-03-12 19:53:18.762501

Geography

Global simulations with receptor locations focused on Western North America (WNA), from the surface to 20 km altitude.