The NAMMA DC-8 Dropsonde dataset were collected by the DC-8 dropsonde system, which uses an integrated, highly accurate, GPS-located atmospheric profiling dropsonde measuring and recording current atmospheric conditions in a vertical column below the aircraft. hese dropsondes, also known as dropwindsondes or parachute radiosondes, are small, lightweight (less than 1 lb) cylindrical instruments that fall freely through the atmosphere, slowed somewhat by a small inflatable parachute. 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 NAMMA Raw DC-8 Dropsonde dataset consists of high-resolution vertical profiles of ambient pressure, temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction obtained by the DC-8 dropsonde system during the NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) field campaign. The NAMMA field campaign was based in the Cape Verde Island, 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 DC-8 dropsonde system uses an integrated, highly accurate, Global Positioning System (GPS)-located atmospheric profiling dropsonde measuring and recording current atmospheric conditions in a vertical column below the aircraft. Data files are available in ASCII format for the period of August 7, 2006 through September 12, 2006.

The NAMMA Praia Cape Verde Radiosonde data used Sippican MarkIIa DGPS (LOS) radiosondes, which were launched in support of NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) mission. 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 radiosondes released were Sippican MK-IIa units developed by Lockheed Martin. The atmospheric soundings were used to measure pressure, temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed and spatial coordinates. Data is grouped by ascending and descending flights and includes temperature, Skew-T, trajectory, wind and time series plots.

The NAMMA Senegal Rain Gauge Network consisted of 40 rain gauge sites (AMMA 1-40) located in various places throughout Senegal, West Africa. 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 Rain Gauge Network consisted of the large-scale rain gauge network. The rain gauges collected one-minute accumulation data. The location and photos of each site can be found in an accompanying PDF document: NAMMA_Raingauge_network.pdf.

The GRIP DC-8 Dropsonde V3 dataset consists of atmospheric pressure, dry-bulb temperature, dew point temperature, relative humidity, wind direction, wind speed, and fall rate measurements taken during 16 research flights during the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) campaign from August 17, 2010 to September 22, 2010. The GRIP campaign was conducted to better understand how tropical storms form and how these storms develop into major hurricanes. The DC-8 Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) deploys integrated, highly accurate, GPS-located atmospheric profiling dropsondes to measure and record current atmospheric conditions in a vertical column below the aircraft. The dropsondes are ejected from a tube in the underside of the DC-8 aircraft. As the dropsonde descends to the surface via a parachute, it continuously measures and transmits data to the aircraft using a 400 MHz meteorological band telemetry link. Pressure, temperature and relative humidity, as well as GPS-based wind data were collected from 328 dropsondes. These Dropsonde data are in ASCII-csv file format.

DC3_MetNav_AircraftInSitu_NSF-GV-HIAPER_Data are in-situ meteorological and navigational data collected onboard the NSF/NCAR GV-HIAPER aircraft during the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaign. Data collection for this product is complete. The Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaign sought to understand the dynamical, physical, and lightning processes of deep, mid-latitude continental convective clouds and to define the impact of these clouds on upper tropospheric composition and chemistry. DC3 was conducted from May to June 2012 with a base location of Salina, Kansas. Observations were conducted in northeastern Colorado, west Texas to central Oklahoma, and northern Alabama in order to provide a wide geographic sample of storm types and boundary layer compositions, as well as to sample convection. DC3 had two primary science objectives. The first was to investigate storm dynamics and physics, lightning and its production of nitrogen oxides, cloud hydrometeor effects on wet deposition of species, surface emission variability, and chemistry in anvil clouds. Observations related to this objective focused on the early stages of active convection. The second objective was to investigate changes in upper tropospheric chemistry and composition after active convection. Observations related to this objective focused on the 12-48 hours following convection. This objective also served to explore seasonal change of upper tropospheric chemistry. In addition to using the NSF/NCAR Gulfstream-V (GV) aircraft, the NASA DC-8 was used during DC3 to provide in-situ measurements of the convective storm inflow and remotely-sensed measurements used for flight planning and column characterization. DC3 utilized ground-based radar networks spread across its observation area to measure the physical and kinematic characteristics of storms. Additional sampling strategies relied on lightning mapping arrays, radiosondes, and precipitation collection. Lastly, DC3 used data collected from various satellite instruments to achieve its goals, focusing on measurements from CALIOP onboard CALIPSO and CPL onboard CloudSat. In addition to providing an extensive set of data related to deep, mid-latitude continental convective clouds and analyzing their impacts on upper tropospheric composition and chemistry, DC3 improved models used to predict convective transport. DC3 improved knowledge of convection and chemistry, and provided information necessary to understanding the processes relating to ozone in the upper troposphere.

The NAMMA Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) dataset used the LASE system using the Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) system was operated during the NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) campaign to gather water vapor mixing ratio and aerosol scattering ratio (815 nm) profiles. Other derived parameters include: relative humidity, equivalent potential temperature, virtual potential temperature, precipitable water vapor profiles, aerosol backscatter, aerosol extinction, and aerosol optical thickness profiles (815 nm). Aerosol data are reported as atmospheric scattering ratios on a logarithmic scale. Water vapor data are reported as mixing ratios (g/kg) on both a linear and logarithmic scale. LASE was operated from the NASA DC-8 aircraft during 14 NAMMA campaign flights between August 15 and September 12, 2006.

DC3_TraceGas_AircraftInSitu_Data are in-situ meteorological and navigational data collected onboard the DC-8 aircraft during the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaign. Data collection for this product is complete. The Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) field campaign sought to understand the dynamical, physical, and lightning processes of deep, mid-latitude continental convective clouds and to define the impact of these clouds on upper tropospheric composition and chemistry. DC3 was conducted from May to June 2012 with a base location of Salina, Kansas. Observations were conducted in northeastern Colorado, west Texas to central Oklahoma, and northern Alabama in order to provide a wide geographic sample of storm types and boundary layer compositions, as well as to sample convection. DC3 had two primary science objectives. The first was to investigate storm dynamics and physics, lightning and its production of nitrogen oxides, cloud hydrometeor effects on wet deposition of species, surface emission variability, and chemistry in anvil clouds. Observations related to this objective focused on the early stages of active convection. The second objective was to investigate changes in upper tropospheric chemistry and composition after active convection. Observations related to this objective focused on the 12-48 hours following convection. This objective also served to explore seasonal change of upper tropospheric chemistry. In addition to using the NSF/NCAR Gulfstream-V (GV) aircraft, the NASA DC-8 was used during DC3 to provide in-situ measurements of the convective storm inflow and remotely-sensed measurements used for flight planning and column characterization. DC3 utilized ground-based radar networks spread across its observation area to measure the physical and kinematic characteristics of storms. Additional sampling strategies relied on lightning mapping arrays, radiosondes, and precipitation collection. Lastly, DC3 used data collected from various satellite instruments to achieve its goals, focusing on measurements from CALIOP onboard CALIPSO and CPL onboard CloudSat. In addition to providing an extensive set of data related to deep, mid-latitude continental convective clouds and analyzing their impacts on upper tropospheric composition and chemistry, DC3 improved models used to predict convective transport. DC3 improved knowledge of convection and chemistry, and provided information necessary to understanding the processes relating to ozone in the upper troposphere.

SOLVE1_Analysis_DC8_Data contains modeled trajectories and meteorological data along the flight path for the DC-8 aircraft collected during the SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE). Data collection for this product is complete. The SOLVE campaign was a NASA multi-program effort of the Upper Atmosphere Research Program (UARP), Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Project (AEAP), Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling and Analysis Program (ACMAP) and Earth Observing System (EOS) of NASA’s Earth Science Enterprise (ESE). SOLVE’s primary objective was for calibrating and validating the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) III satellite measurements, while examining the processes that controlled ozone levels at a mid- to high-latitude range. The major goal of SAGE III was to quantitatively assess ozone loss at high latitudes. SOLVE was a two-phase experiment, the first phase, SOLVE, occurred during the fall of 1999 through the spring of 2000. The second phase, SOLVE II, occurred during the winter of 2003. SOLVE took place in the Arctic high-latitude region during the winter. The polar ozone depletion processes cause by human-produced chlorine and bromine are most active in mid-to-late winter and early spring in the high Arctic. In order to conduct this validation experiment, NASA deployed the NASA ER-2 aircraft and NASA DC-8 aircraft. The ER-2 measured a variety of atmospheric data, including ozone (O3), H2O, CO2, ClONO2, HCl, ClO/BrO, and Cl2O2. The DC-8 aircraft measured ozone, ClO/BrO, and aerosol, among other atmospheric data. SOLVE also utilized balloon platforms, ground-based instruments, and collaborations with the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) FALCON aircraft equipped with the OLEX Lidar to achieve the mission objectives. Overall, the campaign had 28 flights, with SOLVE featuring 17 total flights among the different aircrafts and SOLVE II featuring 11 flights.

The NAMMA DC-8 Navigation and Housekeeping (ICATS) dataset is designed to: 1) interface and process avionics and environmental paramaters from the Navigational Management System, GPS, Central Air Data Computer, Embedded GPS/INS, and analog voltage sources from aircraft and experimenters; 2) Furnish engineering unit values of selected parameters and computed functions for real-time video display, and archive ASCII data at experimenter stations; and 3) Archive engineering unit values of 'Appendix A' (to the ICATS document included with dataset documentation) on data storage for post flight retrieval. 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.