ATom: L2 Photolysis Frequencies from NCAR CCD Actinic Flux Spectroradiometers (CAFS)

Overview

Description

This dataset provides the photolysis frequencies for photodissociation reactions for a variety of species. Frequencies were calculated based on spectrally resolved down- and up-welling in situ ultraviolet and visible actinic flux from approximately 280-650 nm as measured by the CCD Actinic Flux Spectroradiometers (CAFS) during airborne campaigns conducted by NASA's Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) mission. ATom deploys an extensive gas and aerosol payload on the NASA DC-8 aircraft for systematic, global-scale sampling of the atmosphere, profiling continuously from 0.2 to 12 km altitude. Flights occurred in each of 4 seasons from 2016 to 2018. Flights originate from the Armstrong Flight Research Center in Palmdale, California, fly north to the western Arctic, south to the South Pacific, east to the Atlantic, north to Greenland, and return to California across central North America. ATom establishes a single, contiguous, global-scale dataset. This comprehensive dataset will be used to improve the representation of chemically reactive gases and short-lived climate forcers in global models of atmospheric chemistry and climate.

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Data Use and Citation

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