The DC-8 Navigation Data CPEX dataset is a subset of airborne measurements that include GPS positioning and trajectory data, aircraft orientation, and atmospheric state measurements of temperature, pressure, water vapor, and horizontal winds. These measurements were taken from the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the Convective Processes Experiment (CPEX) field campaign. The CPEX campaign collected data to help explain convective storm initiation, organization, growth, and dissipation in the North Atlantic-Gulf of America-Caribbean Oceanic region during the early summer of 2017. These data files are available from May 25, 2017 through June 28, 2017 in ASCII format.

The DC-8 Meteorological and Navigation Data CPEX-CV dataset is a subset of airborne measurements that include GPS positioning and trajectory data, aircraft orientation, and atmospheric state measurements of temperature, pressure, water vapor, and horizontal winds. These data were gathered during the Convective Processes Experiment – Cabo Verde (CPEX-CV) field campaign. The NASA CPEX-CV field campaign was based out of Sal Island, Cabo Verde from August through September 2022. The campaign is a continuation of CPEX – Aerosols and Winds (CPEX-AW) and will be conducted aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft equipped with remote sensors and dropsonde-launch capability that will allow for the measurement of tropospheric aerosols, winds, temperature, water vapor, and precipitation. The overarching CPEX-CV goal was to investigate atmospheric dynamics, marine boundary layer properties, convection, the dust-laden Saharan Air Layer, and their interactions across various spatial scales to improve understanding and predictability of process-level lifecycles in the data-sparse tropical East Atlantic region. These data files are available from September 2, 2022, through October 3, 2022, in ASCII format.

The DC-8 Meteorological and Navigation Data CPEX-AW dataset is a subset of airborne measurements that include GPS positioning and trajectory data, aircraft orientation, and atmospheric state measurements of temperature, pressure, water vapor, and horizontal winds. These measurements were taken from the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the Convective Processes Experiment – Aerosols & Winds (CPEX-AW) field campaign. CPEX-AW was a joint effort between the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) with the primary goal of conducting a post-launch calibration and validation activities of the Atmospheric Dynamics Mission-Aeolus (ADM-AEOLUS) Earth observation wind Lidar satellite in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Data are available from August 17, 2021 through September 4, 2021 in ASCII format.

The Mission Reports CPEX-AW dataset contains daily objectives, flight times, and instrument performance during each NASA DC-8 aircraft flight during the Convective Processes Experiment – Aerosols & Winds (CPEX-AW) field campaign. CPEX-AW was a joint effort between the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) with the primary goal of conducting a post-launch calibration and validation activities of the Atmospheric Dynamics Mission-Aeolus (ADM-AEOLUS) Earth observation wind Lidar satellite in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Data are available from August 20, 2021 through August 27, 2021 in Microsoft Word Doc format.

The DC-8 Meteorological and Navigation Data CPEX-AW dataset is a subset of airborne measurements that include GPS positioning and trajectory data, aircraft orientation, and atmospheric state measurements of temperature, pressure, water vapor, and horizontal winds. These measurements were taken from the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the Convective Processes Experiment – Aerosols & Winds (CPEX-AW) field campaign. CPEX-AW was a joint effort between the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) with the primary goal of conducting a post-launch calibration and validation activities of the Atmospheric Dynamics Mission-Aeolus (ADM-AEOLUS) Earth observation wind Lidar satellite in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Data are available from August 17, 2021 through September 4, 2021 in ASCII format.

The Mission Reports CPEX-AW dataset contains daily objectives, flight times, and instrument performance during each NASA DC-8 aircraft flight during the Convective Processes Experiment – Aerosols & Winds (CPEX-AW) field campaign. CPEX-AW was a joint effort between the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) with the primary goal of conducting a post-launch calibration and validation activities of the Atmospheric Dynamics Mission-Aeolus (ADM-AEOLUS) Earth observation wind Lidar satellite in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Data are available from August 20, 2021 through August 27, 2021 in Microsoft Word Doc format.

CPEXCV_Cloud_AircraftInSitu_DC8_Data is the in-situ cloud data collected during the Convective Processes Experiment - Cabo Verde (CPEX-CV) onboard the DC-8 aircraft. Data from the Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS) instrument is featured in this collection. Data collection for this product is complete. Seeking to better understand atmospheric processes in regions with little data, the Convective Processes Experiment – Cabo Verde (CPEX-CV) campaign conducted by NASA is a continuation of the CPEX – Aerosols & Winds (CPEX-AW) campaign that took place between August to September 2021. The campaign will take place between 1-30 September 2022 and will operate out of Sal Island, Cabo Verde with the primary goal of investigating atmospheric dynamics, marine boundary layer properties, convection, the dust-laden Saharan Air Layer, and their interactions across various spatial scales to improve understanding and predictability of process-level lifecycles in the data-sparse tropical East Atlantic region. CPEX-CV will work towards its goal by addressing four main science objectives. The first goal is to improve understanding of the interaction between large-scale environmental forcings such as the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), Saharan Air Layer, African easterly waves, and mid-level African easterly jet, and the lifecycle and properties of convective cloud systems, including tropical cyclone precursors, in the tropical East Atlantic region. Next, observations will be made about how local kinematic and thermodynamic conditions, including the vertical structure and variability of the marine boundary layer, relate to the initiation and lifecycle of convective cloud systems and their processes. Third, CPEX-CV will investigate how dynamical and convective processes affect size dependent Saharan dust vertical structure, long-range Saharan dust transport, and boundary layer exchange pathways. The last objective will be to assess the impact of CPEX-CV observations of atmospheric winds, thermodynamics, clouds, and aerosols on the prediction of tropical Atlantic weather systems and validate and interpret spaceborne remote sensors that provide similar measurements. To achieve these objectives, the NASA DC-8 aircraft will be deployed with remote sensing instruments and dropsondes that will allow for the measurement of tropospheric aerosols, winds, temperature, water vapor, and precipitation. Instruments onboard the aircraft include the Airborne Third Generation Precipitation Radar (APR-3), lidars such as the Doppler Aerosol WiNd Lidar (DAWN), High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO), High Altitude Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR), Advanced Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) dropsonde system, Cloud Aerosol and Precipitation Spectrometer (CAPS), and the Airborne In-situ and Radio Occultation (AIRO) instrument. Measurements taken by CPEX-CV will assist in moving science forward from previous CPEX and CPEX-AW missions, the calibration and validation of satellite measurements, and the development of airborne sensors, especially those with potential for satellite deployment.

TRACE-P_Trajectory_DC8_Data is the trajectory data collected onboard the DC-8 aircraft during the Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P) suborbital campaign. Data collection for this product is complete. The NASA TRACE-P mission was a part of NASA’s Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) – an assemblage of missions conducted from 1983-2001 with various research goals and objectives. TRACE-P was a multi-organizational campaign with NASA, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and several US universities. TRACE-P deployed its payloads in the Pacific between the months of March and April 2001 with the goal of studying the air chemistry emerging from Asia to the western Pacific. Along with this, TRACE-P had the objective studying the chemical evolution of the air as it moved away from Asia.  In order to accomplish its goals, the NASA DC-8 aircraft and NASA P-3B aircraft were deployed, each equipped with various instrumentation. TRACE-P also relied on ground sites, and satellites to collect data. The DC-8 aircraft was equipped with 19 instruments in total while the P-3B boasted 21 total instruments. Some instruments on the DC-8 include the Nephelometer, the GCMS, the Nitric Oxide Chemiluminescence, the Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL), and the Dual Channel Collectors and Fluorometers, HPLC. The Nephelometer was utilized to gather data on various wavelengths including aerosol scattering (450, 550, 700nm), aerosol absorption (565nm), equivalent BC mass, and air density ratio. The GCMS was responsible for capturing a multitude of compounds in the atmosphere, some of which include CH4, CH3CHO, CH3Br, CH3Cl, CHBr3, and C2H6O. DIAL was used for a variety of measurements, some of which include aerosol wavelength dependence (1064/587nm), IR aerosol scattering ratio (1064nm), tropopause heights and ozone columns, visible aerosol scattering ratio, composite tropospheric ozone cross-sections, and visible aerosol depolarization. Finally, the Dual Channel Collectors and Fluorometers, HPLC collected data on H2O2, CH3OOH, and CH2O in the atmosphere. The P-3B aircraft was equipped with various instruments for TRACE-P, some of which include the MSA/CIMS, the Non-dispersive IR Spectrometer, the PILS-Ion Chromatograph, and the Condensation particle counter and Pulse Height Analysis (PHA). The MSA/CIMS measured OH, H2SO4, MSA, and HNO3. The Non-dispersive IR Spectrometer took measurements on CO2 in the atmosphere. The PILS-Ion Chromatograph recorded measurements of compounds and elements in the atmosphere, including sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, NH4, NO3, and SO4. Finally, the Condensation particle counter and PHA was used to gather data on total UCN, UCN 3-8nm, and UCN 3-4nm. Along with the aircrafts, ground stations measured air quality from China along with C2H2, C2H6, CO, and HCN. Finally, satellites imagery was used to collect a multitude of data, some of the uses were to observe the history of lightning flashes, SeaWiFS cloud imagery, 8-day exposure to TOMS aerosols, and SeaWiFS aerosol optical thickness. The imagery was used to best aid in planning for the aircraft deployment.

The GRIP DC-8 Navigation and Housekeeping Data contains aircraft navigational data obtained during the GRIP campaign (15 Aug 2010 - 30 Sep 2010). The major goal was to better understand how tropical storms form and develop into major hurricanes. The NASA DC-8 is outfitted with a navigational recording system which in combination with the Research Environment for Vehicle-Embedded Analysis on Linux (REVEAL) provides detailed flight parameters such as airspeed, altitude, roll/pitch/yaw angles, ground speed, flight level wind speed, temperature and many others. The REVEAL system is a configurable embedded system for facilitating integration of instrument payloads with vehicle systems and communication links. REVEAL systems currently serve as onboard data acquisition, processing, and recording systems.

CPEXCV_Cloud_AircraftInSitu_DC8_Data is the in-situ cloud data collected during the Convective Processes Experiment - Cabo Verde (CPEX-CV) onboard the DC-8 aircraft. Data from the Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS) instrument is featured in this collection. Data collection for this product is complete.Seeking to better understand atmospheric processes in regions with little data, the Convective Processes Experiment – Cabo Verde (CPEX-CV) campaign conducted by NASA is a continuation of the CPEX – Aerosols & Winds (CPEX-AW) campaign that took place between August to September 2021. The campaign will take place between 1-30 September 2022 and will operate out of Sal Island, Cabo Verde with the primary goal of investigating atmospheric dynamics, marine boundary layer properties, convection, the dust-laden Saharan Air Layer, and their interactions across various spatial scales to improve understanding and predictability of process-level lifecycles in the data-sparse tropical East Atlantic region. CPEX-CV will work towards its goal by addressing four main science objectives. The first goal is to improve understanding of the interaction between large-scale environmental forcings such as the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), Saharan Air Layer, African easterly waves, and mid-level African easterly jet, and the lifecycle and properties of convective cloud systems, including tropical cyclone precursors, in the tropical East Atlantic region. Next, observations will be made about how local kinematic and thermodynamic conditions, including the vertical structure and variability of the marine boundary layer, relate to the initiation and lifecycle of convective cloud systems and their processes. Third, CPEX-CV will investigate how dynamical and convective processes affect size dependent Saharan dust vertical structure, long-range Saharan dust transport, and boundary layer exchange pathways. The last objective will be to assess the impact of CPEX-CV observations of atmospheric winds, thermodynamics, clouds, and aerosols on the prediction of tropical Atlantic weather systems and validate and interpret spaceborne remote sensors that provide similar measurements. To achieve these objectives, the NASA DC-8 aircraft will be deployed with remote sensing instruments and dropsondes that will allow for the measurement of tropospheric aerosols, winds, temperature, water vapor, and precipitation. Instruments onboard the aircraft include the Airborne Third Generation Precipitation Radar (APR-3), lidars such as the Doppler Aerosol WiNd Lidar (DAWN), High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO), High Altitude Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR), Advanced Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) dropsonde system, Cloud Aerosol and Precipitation Spectrometer (CAPS), and the Airborne In-situ and Radio Occultation (AIRO) instrument. Measurements taken by CPEX-CV will assist in moving science forward from previous CPEX and CPEX-AW missions, the calibration and validation of satellite measurements, and the development of airborne sensors, especially those with potential for satellite deployment.