MACPEX Balloonsondes and Ozonesondes Data

MACPEX_Sondes_Data is the balloonsonde and ozonesonde data collected during the Mid-latitude Airborne Cirrus Properties Experiment (MACPEX). Data were collected by the balloon borne frost point hygrometer (balloon FPH) and ozonesondes. Data collection for this product is complete.The Mid-latitude Airborne Cirrus Properties Experiment (MACPEX) 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.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Maintainer Earthdata Forum
Last Updated February 17, 2026, 02:19 (UTC)
Created April 1, 2025, 17:05 (UTC)
accessLevel public
bureauCode {026:00}
catalog_conformsTo https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
harvest_object_id 29bd0279-c4c2-4ed4-b4d0-242b2f5f2c85
harvest_source_id b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title Science Discovery Engine
identifier 10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/MACPEX_Sondes_Data_1
landingPage https://espo.nasa.gov/macpex
modified 2026-02-16
programCode {026:000}
publisher NASA/LARC/SD/ASDC
resource-type Dataset
source_datajson_identifier true
source_hash cca27e48f41e2edbed99096549d312453a8aab027bcc1b0a7d2b7686658f2497
source_schema_version 1.1
spatial ["CARTESIAN",[{"Boundary":{"Points":[{"Latitude":25,"Longitude":-100},{"Latitude":25,"Longitude":-87},{"Latitude":35,"Longitude":-87},{"Latitude":35,"Longitude":-100},{"Latitude":25,"Longitude":-100}]}}]], Maximum Altitude, 25 km
temporal 2011-04-12/2011-04-12
theme {"Earth Science"}