NAAMES_AerosolCloud_AircraftRemoteSensing_Data are remotely sensed cloud, aerosol and ocean optical measurements collected onboard the C-130 aircraft during the North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES). NAAMES was a NASA funded Earth-Venture Suborbital (EVS) mission with 4 deployments occurring from 2015-2018.The NASA North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES) project was the first NASA Earth Venture – Suborbital mission focused on studying the coupled ocean ecosystem and atmosphere. NAAMES utilizes a combination of ship-based, airborne, autonomous sensor, and remote sensing measurements that directly link ocean ecosystem processes, emissions of ocean-generated aerosols and precursor gases, and subsequent atmospheric evolution and processing. Four deployments coincide with the seasonal cycle of phytoplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean: the Winter Transition (November 5 – December 2, 2015), the Bloom Climax (May 11 – June 5, 2016), the Deceleration Phase (August 30 – September 24, 2017), and the Acceleration Phase (March 20 – April 13, 2018). Ship-based measurements were conducted from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Research Vessel Atlantis in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, while airborne measurements were conducted on a NASA Wallops Flight Facility C-130 Hercules that was based at St. John's International Airport, Newfoundland, Canada. Data products in the ASDC archive focus on the NAAMES atmospheric aerosol, cloud, and trace gas data from the ship and aircraft, as well as related satellite and model data subsets. While a few ocean-remote sensing data products (e.g., from the high-spectral resolution lidar) are also included in the ASDC archive, most ocean data products reside in a companion archive at SeaBass.

SEAC4RS_Cloud_AircraftInSitu_DC8_Data are in-situ cloud data collected onboard the DC8 aircraft during the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEA4CRS) airborne field study. Data collection for this product is complete.Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) airborne field study was conducted in August and September of 2013. The field operation was based in Houston, Texas. The primary SEAC4RS science objectives are: to determine how pollutant emissions are redistributed via deep convection throughout the troposphere; to determine the evolution of gases and aerosols in deep convective outflow and the implications for UT/LS chemistry; to identify the influences and feedbacks of aerosol particles from anthropogenic pollution and biomass burning on meteorology and climate through changes in the atmospheric heat budget (i.e., semi-direct effect) or through microphysical changes in clouds (i.e., indirect effects); and lastly, to serve as a calibration and validation test bed for future satellite instruments and missions.The airborne observational data were collected from three aircraft platforms: the NASA DC-8, ER-2, and SPEC LearJet. Both the NASA DC-8 and ER-2 aircraft were instrumented for comprehensive in-situ and remote sensing measurements of the trace gas, aerosol properties, and cloud properties. In addition, radiative fluxes and meteorological parameters were also recorded. The NASA DC-8 was mostly responsible for tropospheric sampling, while the NASA ER-2 was operating in the lower stratospheric regime. The SPEC LearJet was dedicated to in-situ cloud characterizations. To accomplish the science objectives, the flight plans were designed to investigate the influence of biomass burning and pollution, their temporal evolution, and ultimately, impacts on meteorological processes which can, in turn, feedback on regional air quality. With respect to meteorological feedbacks, the opportunity to examine the impact of polluting aerosols on cloud properties and dynamics was of particular interest.

ACCLIP_Cloud_AircraftInSitu_WB57_Data is the in-situ cloud data collection during the Asian Summer Monsoon Chemical & Climate Impact Project (ACCLIP). Data from the Cloud, Aerosol, and Precipitation Spectrometer (CAPS) is featured in this collection. Data collection for this product is complete.ACCLIP is an international, multi-organizational suborbital campaign that aims to study aerosols and chemical transport that is associated with the Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM) in the Western Pacific region from 15 July 2022 to 31 August 2022. The ASM is the largest meteorological pattern in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) during the summer and is associated with persistent convection and large anticyclonic flow patterns in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). This leads to significant enhancements in the UTLS of trace species that originate from pollution or biomass burning. Convection connected to the ASM occurs over South, Southeast, and East Asia, a region with complex and rapidly changing emissions due to its high population density and economic growth. Pollution that reaches the UTLS from this region can have significant effects on the climate and chemistry of the atmosphere, making it important to have an accurate representation and understanding of ASM transport, chemical, and microphysical processes for chemistry-climate models to characterize these interactions and for predicting future impacts on climate.The ACCLIP campaign is conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) with the primary goal of investigating the impacts of Asian gas and aerosol emissions on global chemistry and climate. The NASA WB-57 and NCAR G-V aircraft are outfitted with state-of-the-art sensors to accomplish this. ACCLIP seeks to address four scientific objectives related to its main goal. The first is to investigate the transport pathways of ASM uplifted air from inside of the anticyclone to the global UTLS. Another objective is to sample the chemical content of air processed in the ASM in order to quantify the role of the ASM in transporting chemically active species and short-lived climate forcing agents to the UTLS to determine their impact on stratospheric ozone chemistry and global climate. Third, information is obtained on aerosol size, mass, and chemical composition that is necessary for determining the radiative effects of the ASM to constrain models of aerosol formation and for contrasting the organic-rich ASM UTLS aerosol population with that of the background aerosols. Last, ACCLIP seeks to measure the water vapor distribution associated with the monsoon dynamical structure to evaluate transport across the tropopause and determine the role of the ASM in water vapor transport in the stratosphere.

ASIA-AQ_Cloud_AircraftInSitu_DC8_Data is the in-situ cloud data collected onboard the DC-8 aircraft during the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ) campaign. Data from the Condensation Nuclei Counter (CCN), Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP), Cloud Particle Spectrometer with Polarized Detection (CPSPD), and Cloud Particle Counter (CPC) are featured in this collection. Data collection for this product is complete.The ASIA-AQ campaign was an international cooperative field study designed to address local air quality challenges. Conducted from January-March 2024, ASIA-AQ deployed multiple aircraft to collect in situ and remote sensing measurements, along with numerous ground-based observations and modeling assessments. Data was collected over four countries including, the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand and flights were conducted in full partnership with local scientists and environmental agencies responsible for air quality monitoring and assessment. One of the primary goals of ASIA-AQ was to contribute improving integration of satellite observations with existing air quality ground monitoring and modeling efforts across Asia. Air quality observations from satellites are evolving with new capabilities from South Korea’s Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS), which conducts hourly measurements to provide a new view of air quality conditions from space that complements and depends upon ground-based monitoring efforts of countries in its field of view. ASIA-AQ science goals focused on satellite validation and interpretation, emissions quantification and verification, model evaluation, aerosol chemistry, and ozone chemistry.

ARCTAS_Cloud_AircraftInSitu_DC8_Data is the in-situ cloud data for the DC-8 aircraft collected during the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft & Satellites sub-orbital campaign. Data from the CAPS instrument is featured in this data product and data collection for this product is complete.The Arctic is a critical region in understanding climate change. The responses of the Arctic to environmental perturbations such as warming, pollution, and emissions from forest fires in boreal Eurasia and North America include key processes such as the melting of ice sheets and permafrost, a decrease in snow albedo, and the deposition of halogen radical chemistry from sea salt aerosols to ice. Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) was a field campaign that explored environmental processes related to the high degree of climate sensitivity in the Arctic. ARCTAS was part of NASA’s contribution to the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) Polar Study using Aircraft, Remote Sensing, Surface Measurements, and Models of Climate, Chemistry, Aerosols, and Transport (POLARCAT) Experiment for the International Polar Year 2007-2008.ARCTAS had four primary objectives. The first was to understand long-range transport of pollution to the Arctic. Pollution brought to the Arctic from northern mid-latitude continents has environmental consequences, such as modifying regional and global climate and affecting the ozone budget. Prior to ARCTAS, these pathways remained largely uncertain. The second objective was to understand the atmospheric composition and climate implications of boreal forest fires; the smoke emissions from which act as an atmospheric perturbation to the Arctic by impacting the radiation budget and cloud processes and contributing to the production of tropospheric ozone. The third objective was to understand aerosol radiative forcing from climate perturbations, as the Arctic is an important place for understanding radiative forcing due to the rapid pace of climate change in the region and its unique radiative environment. The fourth objective of ARCTAS was to understand chemical processes with a focus on ozone, aerosols, mercury, and halogens. Additionally, ARCTAS sought to develop capabilities for incorporating data from aircraft and satellites related to pollution and related environmental perturbations in the Arctic into earth science models, expanding the potential for those models to predict future environmental change.ARCTAS consisted of two, three-week aircraft deployments conducted in April and July 2008. The spring deployment sought to explore arctic haze, stratosphere-troposphere exchange, and sunrise photochemistry. April was chosen for the deployment phase due to historically being the peak in the seasonal accumulation of pollution from northern mid-latitude continents in the Arctic. The summer deployment sought to understand boreal forest fires at their most active seasonal phase in addition to stratosphere-troposphere exchange and summertime photochemistry.During ARCTAS, three NASA aircrafts, the DC-8, P-3B, and BE-200, conducted measurements and were equipped with suites of in-situ and remote sensing instrumentation. Airborne data was used in conjunction with satellite observations from AURA, AQUA, CloudSat, PARASOL, CALIPSO, and MISR.The ASDC houses ARCTAS aircraft data, along with data related to MISR, a satellite instrument aboard the Terra satellite which provides measurements that provide information about the Earth’s environment and climate.

MACPEX_Cloud_AircraftInSitu_WB57_Data is the in-situ cloud data collection during the Mid-latitude Airborne Cirrus Properties Experiment (MACPEX). Data was collected by the Small Ice Detector (SID), Video Ice Particle Sampler (VIPS), High Volume Precipitation Spectrometer (HVPS), and the 2D-S Stereo Probe (2DS). Data collection for this product is complete.The MACPEX mission was an airborne field campaign that deployed from March 18th to April 26th, 2011. MACPEX sought to investigate cirrus cloud properties and the processes that affect their impact on radiation. The campaign conducted science flights using the NASA WB-57 aircraft based out of Ellington Airfield, Texas. Science flights were focused on the central North America vicinity, with an emphasis over the Southern Great Plains atmospheric observatory (established by the Department of Energy’s (DoE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility) site in Oklahoma. MACPEX was a joint effort between NASA, the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL), the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and several U.S. universities.The WB-57 contained a comprehensive instrument payload for detailed in-situ measurements that were targeted to answer MACPEX’s four major science questions. The first science question that MACPEX explored was how prevalent the smaller crystals are in cirrus clouds, and how important they are for extinction, radiative forcing, and radiative heating. MACPEX also sought to understand how cirrus microphysical properties (particle size distribution, ice crystal habit, extinction, ice water content) are related to the dynamical forcing driving cloud formation. Researchers also investigated how cirrus microphysical properties are related to aerosol loading and composition, including the abundance of heterogeneous ice nuclei. Lastly, this campaign examined how cirrus microphysical properties evolve through the lifecycles of the clouds, and the role radiatively driven dynamical motions play.In addition to the in-situ measurements, four flights were coordinated to validate the NASA EOS/A-Train satellite observations. NOAA also launched balloon sondes and ozonesondes, which were used to acquire data about the frost point and water vapor in the atmosphere. The balloon sondes and ozonesondes also acquired pressure, temperature, and humidity data, as well as measurements regarding the ozone in the atmosphere.