KORUS-AQ Aircraft Merge Data Files

KORUSAQ_Merge_Data are pre-generated merge data files combining various products collected during the KORUS-AQ field campaign. This collection features pre-generated merge files for the DC-8 aircraft. Data collection for this product is complete.

The KORUS-AQ field study was conducted in South Korea during May-June, 2016. The study was jointly sponsored by NASA and Korea’s National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER). The primary objectives were to investigate the factors controlling air quality in Korea (e.g., local emissions, chemical processes, and transboundary transport) and to assess future air quality observing strategies incorporating geostationary satellite observations. To achieve these science objectives, KORUS-AQ adopted a highly coordinated sampling strategy involved surface and airborne measurements including both in-situ and remote sensing instruments.

Surface observations provided details on ground-level air quality conditions while airborne sampling provided an assessment of conditions aloft relevant to satellite observations and necessary to understand the role of emissions, chemistry, and dynamics in determining air quality outcomes. The sampling region covers the South Korean peninsula and surrounding waters with a primary focus on the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Airborne sampling was primarily conducted from near surface to about 8 km with extensive profiling to characterize the vertical distribution of pollutants and their precursors. The airborne observational data were collected from three aircraft platforms: the NASA DC-8, NASA B-200, and Hanseo King Air. Surface measurements were conducted from 16 ground sites and 2 ships: R/V Onnuri and R/V Jang Mok.

The major data products collected from both the ground and air include in-situ measurements of trace gases (e.g., ozone, reactive nitrogen species, carbon monoxide and dioxide, methane, non-methane and oxygenated hydrocarbon species), aerosols (e.g., microphysical and optical properties and chemical composition), active remote sensing of ozone and aerosols, and passive remote sensing of NO2, CH2O, and O3 column densities. These data products support research focused on examining the impact of photochemistry and transport on ozone and aerosols, evaluating emissions inventories, and assessing the potential use of satellite observations in air quality studies.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Maintainer Earthdata Forum
Last Updated September 15, 2026, 03:01 (UTC)
Created April 1, 2025, 16:48 (UTC)
accessLevel public
bureauCode {026:00}
catalog_conformsTo https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
harvest_object_id 30e367fd-28ea-435b-9f40-22e273469509
harvest_source_id b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title Science Discovery Engine
identifier 10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/KORUSAQ_Merge_Data_1
license https://www.usa.gov/government-works
modified 2026-09-07T22:16:02Z
programCode {026:000}
publisher NASA/LARC/SD/ASDC
resource-type Dataset
source_datajson_identifier true
source_hash 2e0032661d65ec1ace5c5ff4c0f8f35a0fd47700f4b8d71d3ee42a431e4351dc
source_schema_version 1.1
spatial ["CARTESIAN", [{"WestBoundingCoordinate": -180, "EastBoundingCoordinate": 180, "SouthBoundingCoordinate": 30.1, "NorthBoundingCoordinate": 61.32}]], Maximum Altitude, 12 km
temporal 2016-04-24/2016-06-21
theme {"Earth Science"}