SEAC4RS DC-8 Aircraft In-Situ Meteorological and Navigational Data

SEAC4RS_MetNav_AircraftInSitu_DC8_Data are in-situ meteorological and navigation data collected onboard the DC8 aircraft during the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEA4CRS) airborne field study. Data collection for this product is complete. Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) airborne field study was conducted in August and September of 2013. The field operation was based in Houston, Texas. The primary SEAC4RS science objectives are: to determine how pollutant emissions are redistributed via deep convection throughout the troposphere; to determine the evolution of gases and aerosols in deep convective outflow and the implications for UT/LS chemistry; to identify the influences and feedbacks of aerosol particles from anthropogenic pollution and biomass burning on meteorology and climate through changes in the atmospheric heat budget (i.e., semi-direct effect) or through microphysical changes in clouds (i.e., indirect effects); and lastly, to serve as a calibration and validation test bed for future satellite instruments and missions. The airborne observational data were collected from three aircraft platforms: the NASA DC-8, ER-2, and SPEC LearJet. Both the NASA DC-8 and ER-2 aircraft were instrumented for comprehensive in-situ and remote sensing measurements of the trace gas, aerosol properties, and cloud properties. In addition, radiative fluxes and meteorological parameters were also recorded. The NASA DC-8 was mostly responsible for tropospheric sampling, while the NASA ER-2 was operating in the lower stratospheric regime. The SPEC LearJet was dedicated to in-situ cloud characterizations. To accomplish the science objectives, the flight plans were designed to investigate the influence of biomass burning and pollution, their temporal evolution, and ultimately, impacts on meteorological processes which can, in turn, feedback on regional air quality. With respect to meteorological feedbacks, the opportunity to examine the impact of polluting aerosols on cloud properties and dynamics was of particular interest.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Maintainer Earthdata Forum
Last Updated March 10, 2026, 03:26 (UTC)
Created April 1, 2025, 18:51 (UTC)
accessLevel public
bureauCode {026:00}
catalog_conformsTo https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
harvest_object_id f916b73c-7861-4569-bf27-ea4b1e9d869d
harvest_source_id b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title Science Discovery Engine
identifier 10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SEAC4RS_MetNav_AircraftInSitu_DC8_Data_1
license https://www.usa.gov/government-works
modified 2026-03-05T23:29:35Z
programCode {026:000}
publisher NASA/LARC/SD/ASDC
resource-type Dataset
source_datajson_identifier true
source_hash 2c799ac764677618d77a8dd10dd681f7abd79c1f57f3d732884245c21d52e001
source_schema_version 1.1
spatial ["CARTESIAN",[{"Boundary":{"Points":[{"Latitude":19,"Longitude":-127},{"Latitude":19,"Longitude":-79},{"Latitude":51,"Longitude":-79},{"Latitude":51,"Longitude":-127},{"Latitude":19,"Longitude":-127}]}}]], Maximum Altitude, 12 Km
temporal 2013-08-02/2013-09-24
theme {"Earth Science"}