The NAMMA Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment (LARGE) dataset contains data collected from the following in situ aerosol sensors: condensation nuclei counters, optical particle spectrometers, an aerodynamic particle sizer, and integrating nephelometers. These instruments measure aerosol number density, aerosol size distribution, total scattering and backscattering coefficients. These data files were generated during support of the NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) campaign, a field research investigation sponsored by the Science Mission Directorate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This mission was based in the Cape Verde Islands, 350 miles off the coast of Senegal in west Africa. Commencing in August 2006, NASA scientists employed surface observation networks and aircraft to characterize the evolution and structure of African Easterly Waves (AEWs) and Mesoscale Convective Systems over continental western Africa, and their associated impacts on regional water and energy budgets.

The GRIP Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment (LARGE) dataset was collected by the Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment (LARGE), which measures ultrafine aerosol number density, total and non-volatile aerosol number density, dry aerosol size distribution, total and submicron aerosol absorption coefficients, total and submicron aerosol scattering coefficients, and total scattering and hemispheric backscattering coefficients. Instruments used during LARGE derived aerosol size statistics (mode, number and mass mean diameters, etc.), aerosol surface area and mass loading, aerosol extinction, single scattering albedo, and angstrom coefficients. This dataset was collected during the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) experiment, which a NASA Earth science field experiment. The major goal was to better understand how tropical storms form and develop into major hurricanes. NASA used the DC-8 aircraft, the WB-57 aircraft and the Global Hawk Unmanned Airborne System (UAS), configured with a suite of in situ and remote sensing instruments that were used to observe and characterize the lifecycle of hurricanes. The GRIP LARGE dataset collected data over the Gulf of Mexico from August 6, 2010 to September 22, 2010.

The GRIP Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment (LARGE) dataset was collected by the Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment (LARGE), which measures ultrafine aerosol number density, total and non-volatile aerosol number density, dry aerosol size distribution, total and submicron aerosol absorption coefficients, total and submicron aerosol scattering coefficients, and total scattering and hemispheric backscattering coefficients. Instruments used during LARGE derived aerosol size statistics (mode, number and mass mean diameters, etc.), aerosol surface area and mass loading, aerosol extinction, single scattering albedo, and angstrom coefficients. This dataset was collected during the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) experiment, which a NASA Earth science field experiment. The major goal was to better understand how tropical storms form and develop into major hurricanes. NASA used the DC-8 aircraft, the WB-57 aircraft and the Global Hawk Unmanned Airborne System (UAS), configured with a suite of in situ and remote sensing instruments that were used to observe and characterize the lifecycle of hurricanes. The GRIP LARGE dataset collected data over the Gulf of America from August 6, 2010 to September 22, 2010.

The NAMMA Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment Navigation Data is the DC-8 NAV data (ICATS) extracted into columns with time correction. These data files were generated during support of the NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) campaign, a field research investigation sponsored by the Science Mission Directorate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This mission was based in the Cape Verde Islands, 350 miles off the coast of Senegal in west Africa. Commencing in August 2006, NASA scientists employed surface observation networks and aircraft to characterize the evolution and structure of African Easterly Waves (AEWs) and Mesoscale Convective Systems over continental western Africa, and their associated impacts on regional water and energy budgets. This data was used with the LARGE dataset, but may also be used with other NAMMA datasets. It includes the wind speed and wind direction as well as pressure and air temperature information.

The NAMMA Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment Navigation Data is the DC-8 NAV data (ICATS) extracted into columns with time correction. These data files were generated during support of the NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) campaign, a field research investigation sponsored by the Science Mission Directorate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This mission was based in the Cape Verde Islands, 350 miles off the coast of Senegal in west Africa. Commencing in August 2006, NASA scientists employed surface observation networks and aircraft to characterize the evolution and structure of African Easterly Waves (AEWs) and Mesoscale Convective Systems over continental western Africa, and their associated impacts on regional water and energy budgets. This data was used with the LARGE dataset, but may also be used with other NAMMA datasets. It includes the wind speed and wind direction as well as pressure and air temperature information.

This dataset provides the number, surface area, and volume concentrations and size distributions of dry aerosol particles measured by the Aerosol Microphysical Properties (AMP) instrument package during airborne campaigns conducted by NASA's Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) mission. Five instruments--two nucleation-mode aerosol size spectrometers (NMASS), two ultra-high sensitivity aerosol spectrometers (UHSAS), and a laser aerosol spectrometer (LAS)--comprise the AMP package. The AMP payload provides size distributions with up to one-second time resolution for dry aerosol particles between 0.003 and 4.8 microns in diameter.

Aerosol measurements began at the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) Global Monitoring Division (GMD) baseline observatories in the mid-1970's with the purpose of detecting a response, or lack of response, of atmospheric aerosols to changing conditions on a global scale. In 1992 ESRL/GMD expanded its aerosol research program to include regional aerosol monitoring stations due to anthropogenic aerosols creating a significant perturbation in the Earth's radiative balance on regional scales. The goals of this regional-scale monitoring program are to characterize means, variability, and trends of climate-forcing properties of different types of aerosols, and the factors that control them. In situ measurements of aerosol optical properties (including light absorption, total scattering, hemispheric backscattering, and total aerosol number concentration) are made at monitoring sites at hourly time resolution. The basic aerosol measurement system consists of a nephelometer (measures aerosol light scattering), absorption photometer (measures light absorption), and a condensation nuclei counter (measures particle number concentration). Data from the aerosol monitoring stations are updated several times a day. Following collection of the raw data at the station, the data are inspected through automatic and manual contamination screenings to eliminate contamination from local pollution sources. Automatic screenings use measured wind speed, direction, and/or total particle number concentration to flag contaminated data. Manual screening is more subjective, relying on the station scientist to evaluate the data in the context of automated contamination flags and their knowledge of the site. Data applications indicate the importance of continuing to provide long-term aerosol in-situ measurements for use in analysis of trends and climatologies, evaluation of model simulations of aerosol climatologies, and behavior and validation of remote sensing retrievals of aerosol optical properties. GMD's measurements also provide ground-truth for satellite measurements and global models, as well as key aerosol parameters for global-scale models. Through the Big Earth Data Initiative (BEDI), ESRL/GMD has taken their data collection and converted files into NetCDF-4, a self-describing format.