TRACE-P_Sondes_Data is the balloonsonde and ozonesonde data collected 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.

STAQS_Sondes_Data is the balloonsonde and ozonesonde data collected during the Synergistic TEMPO Air Quality Science (STAQS) mission. Data collection for this product is complete. Launched in April 2023, NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) satellite monitors major air pollutants across North America every daylight hour at high spatial resolution at a geostationary orbit (GEO). With these measurements, NASA’s STAQS mission seeks to integrate TEMPO satellite observations with traditional air quality monitoring to improve understanding of air quality science and enhance societal benefit. STAQS is being conducted during summer 2023, targeting urban areas, including Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago. As part of the mission two aircraft will be outfitted with various remote sensing payloads. The Johnson Space Center (JSC) Gulfstream-V (G-V) aircraft will feature the GeoCAPE Airborne Simulator (GCAS) and combined High Spectral Resolution Lidar-2 (HSRL-2) and Ozone Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL). This payload provides repeated high-resolution mapping of NO2, HCHO, ozone, and aerosols up to 3x per day over targeted cities. NASA Langley Research Center’s (LaRC’s) Gulfstream-III will measure city-scale emissions 2x per day over the targeted cities with the High-Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) and Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer – Next Generation (AVIRS-NG). STAQS will also incorporate ground-based tropospheric ozone profiles from the NASA Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network (TOLNet), NO2, HCHO, and ozone measurements from Pandora spectrometers, and will leverage existing networks operated by the EPA and state air quality agencies. The primary goal of STAQS is to improve our current understanding of air quality science under the TEMPO field of regard. Further goals include evaluating TEMPO level 2 data products, interpreting the temporal and spatial evolution of air quality events tracked by TEMPO, improving temporal estimates of anthropogenic, biogenic, and greenhouse gas emissions, assessing the benefit of assimilating TEMPO data into chemical transport models, and linking air quality patterns to socio-demographic data.

POLARIS_MetNav_AircraftInSitu_ER2_Data is the balloonsonde and ozonesonde data collected during the Photochemistry of Ozone Loss in the Arctic Region in Summer (POLARIS) campaign. Data collection for this product is complete.The POLARIS mission was a joint effort of NASA and NOAA that occurred in 1997 and was designed to expand on the photochemical and transport processes that cause the summer polar decreases in the stratospheric ozone. The POLARIS campaign had the overarching goal of better understanding the change of stratospheric ozone levels from very high concentrations in the spring to very low concentrations in the autumn. The NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft was the primary platform deployed along with balloons, satellites, and ground-sites. The POLARIS campaign was based in Fairbanks, Alaska with some flights being conducted from California and Hawaii. Flights were conducted between the summer solstice and fall equinox at mid- to high latitudes. The data collected included meteorological variables; long-lived tracers in reference to summertime transport questions; select species with reactive nitrogen (NOy), halogen (Cly), and hydrogen (HOx) reservoirs; and aerosols. More specifically, the ER-2 utilized various techniques/instruments including Laser Absorption, Gas Chromatography, Non-dispersive IR, UV Photometry, Catalysis, and IR Absorption. These techniques/instruments were used to collect data including N2O, CH4, CH3CCl3, CO2, O3, H2O, and NOy. Ground stations were responsible for collecting SO2 and O3, while balloons recorded pressure, temperature, wind speed, and wind directions. Satellites partnered with these platforms collected meteorological data and Lidar imagery. The observations were used to constrain stratospheric computer models to evaluate ozone changes due to chemistry and transport.

TRACERAQ_Sondes_Data is the ozonesonde and radiosonde data launched at the University of Houston and LaPorte ground sites during the TRacking Aerosol Convection ExpeRiment – Air Quality (TRACER-AQ) field study. Data collection is complete.The TRacking Aerosol Convection ExpeRiment – Air Quality (TRACER-AQ) campaign is a field study co-sponsored by NASA and TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality), with partners from DOE (Department of Energy) TRacking Aerosol Convection ExpeRiment (TRACER), and several academic institutions. This synergistic effort aims to gain an updated understanding in photochemistry and meteorological impact on ozone formation in the Houston region, particularly around the Houston Ship Channel, Galveston Bay, and the Gulf of America; and provide observations for evaluating air quality models and satellite observations.The primary TRACER-AQ field observations period lasted from mid-August to late September 2021, coinciding with the peak ozone season in East Texas. A second deployment occurred in summer 2022 with a subset of ground-based assets. The observing system includes airborne remote sensing, mobile (boat/vehicle) laboratories, and stationary ground-based assets.The airborne component was based on the NASA Gulfstream V aircraft instrumented with GCAS (GEOCAPE (GEOstationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events) Airborne Simulator) for making measurements of column nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and formaldehyde (HCHO) as well as a lidar system, HSRL-2 (High Spectral Resolution Lidar-2), to measure ozone (O3) and aerosol vertical profiles over the course of 12 flight days. Ground-based assets include ground-based ozone lidars from the Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network (TOLNet), ceilometers, Pandora spectrometers, AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) remote sensors, ozonesondes, and stationary and mobile laboratories of in situ air quality and meteorological observations. This coordinated observing system provides updated or unseen perspectives in spatial and temporal distribution of the key photochemical species and atmospheric structure information, particularly with a focus on the temporal evolution of observations throughout the daytime in preparation for upcoming geostationary satellite air quality observations.

STRAT_Sondes_Data is the balloonsonde and ozonesonde data collected during the Stratospheric Tracers of Atmospheric Transport (STRAT) campaign. Data collection for this product is complete.The STRAT campaign was a field campaign conducted by NASA from May 1995 to February 1996. The primary goal of STRAT was to collect measurements of the change of long-lived tracers and functions of altitude, latitude, and season. These measurements were taken to aid with determining rates for global-scale transport and future distributions of high-speed civil transport (HSCT) exhaust that was emitted into the lower atmosphere. STRAT had four main objectives: defining the rate of transport of trace gases from the stratosphere and troposphere (i.e., HSCT exhaust emissions), improving the understanding of dynamical coupling rates for transport of trace gases between tropical regions and higher latitudes and lower altitudes (between tropical regions, higher latitudes, and lower altitudes are where most ozone resides), improving understanding of chemistry in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, and finally, providing data sets for testing two-dimensional and three-dimensional models used in assessments of impacts from stratospheric aviation. To accomplish these objectives, the STRAT Science Team conducted various surface-based remote sensing and in-situ measurements. NASA flew the ER-2 aircraft along with balloons such as ozonesondes and radiosondes just below the tropopause in the Northern Hemisphere to collect data. Along with the ER-2 and balloons, NASA also utilized satellite imagery, theoretical models, and ground sites. The ER-2 collected data on HOx, NOy, CO2, ozone, water vapor, and temperature. The ER-2 also collected in-situ stratospheric measurements of N2O, CH4, CO, HCL, and NO using the Aircraft Laser Infrared Absorption Spectrometer (ALIAS). Ozonesondes and radiosondes were also deployed to collect data on CO2, NO/NOy, air temperature, pressure, and 3D wind. These balloons also took in-situ measurements of N2O, CFC-11, CH4, CO, HCL, and NO2 using the ALIAS. Ground stations were responsible for taking measurements of O3, ozone mixing ratio, pressure, and temperature. Satellites took infrared images of the atmosphere with the goal of aiding in completing STRAT objectives. Pressure and temperature models were created to help plan the mission.