SEAC4RS Learjet Aircraft In-Situ Meteorological and Navigational Data

SEAC4RS_MetNav_AircraftInSitu_Learjet_Data are in-situ meteorological and navigational data collected onboard the Learjet 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.

The 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 upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (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 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 operated 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 June 3, 2026, 01:12 (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 62f499b8-ebda-427b-837d-20b133b08a27
harvest_source_id b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title Science Discovery Engine
identifier 10.5067/ASDC/SUBORBITAL/SEAC4RS_MetNav_AircraftInSitu_Learjet_Data_1
license https://www.usa.gov/government-works
modified 2026-06-01T22:16:02Z
programCode {026:000}
publisher NASA/LARC/SD/ASDC
resource-type Dataset
source_datajson_identifier true
source_hash 0d17e21c6ebc87c0ecf3df3d169e2d48581b856304d49b853fcd3a5b0b460978
source_schema_version 1.1
spatial ["CARTESIAN", [{"Boundary": {"Points": [{"Latitude": 27.16, "Longitude": -99.22}, {"Latitude": 27.16, "Longitude": -85.54}, {"Latitude": 37.34, "Longitude": -85.54}, {"Latitude": 37.34, "Longitude": -99.22}, {"Latitude": 27.16, "Longitude": -99.22}]}}]], Maximum Altitude, 12 Km
temporal 2013-08-12/2013-09-22
theme {"Earth Science"}