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| DISCOVER-AQ | |
|---|---|
| Name | DISCOVER-AQ |
| Type | Airborne and ground-based atmospheric study |
| Operator | NASA |
| Mission end | 2013 (principal field campaigns) |
| Country | United States |
DISCOVER-AQ is a NASA-led atmospheric science campaign designed to improve the interpretation of satellite-based air quality observations by linking airborne, ground-based, and laboratory measurements. The program sought to better relate column-integrated remote sensing retrievals to near-surface pollutant concentrations relevant to public health, regulatory agencies, and environmental monitoring. DISCOVER-AQ involved diverse partners across federal agencies, universities, and state and local organizations to execute coordinated field campaigns in multiple U.S. metropolitan areas.
The campaign aimed to reconcile satellite instruments with surface air quality by connecting vertical profiling and column observations with ground-based monitoring networks. Key objectives included quantifying vertical distribution of aerosols and trace gases, validating columnar retrievals from platforms such as Aura (satellite), Terra (satellite), Aqua (satellite), and improving air quality forecasting used by agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and state air quality bureaus. DISCOVER-AQ targeted pollutants including ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds to assist modeling efforts by groups at institutions such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Center for Atmospheric Research, California Air Resources Board, and major research universities.
Campaign design combined aircraft sorties, ground monitoring, lidar profiling, and laboratory analyses to build comprehensive datasets. Field strategies were informed by prior experiments including TRACE-P, INTEX, MILAGRO, TexAQS, and IMPACT and employed coordinated mission planning with entities like Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, Langley Research Center, and academic groups at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and University of California, Berkeley. Methods integrated remote sensing retrieval algorithms developed by teams associated with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and instrument groups from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Colorado Boulder, and Pennsylvania State University. Sampling strategies incorporated vertical spirals, nadir-looking overpasses, and surface flux measurements to link profiles to regulatory monitors operated by South Coast Air Quality Management District, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and other municipal agencies.
Aircraft platforms and ground sites hosted a suite of sensors: chemiluminescence ozone analyzers, cavity ring-down spectrometers, differential optical absorption spectroscopy, aerosol mass spectrometers, and lidar systems. Participating platforms included NASA aircraft operated by NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center and instrumented research aircraft from University of North Dakota and National Science Foundation-supported facilities. Measurement sites spanned urban corridors including the San Joaquin Valley, Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area, Denver metropolitan area, Houston–Galveston region, and industrial regions studied in conjunction with local universities such as University of Maryland, Colorado State University, Rice University, and University of California, Davis. Instrument teams were drawn from institutions like Harvard University, California Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University, University of Texas at Austin, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Analyses revealed systematic differences between column-integrated satellite retrievals and near-surface pollutant concentrations, with implications for satellite-based air quality monitoring by missions such as OCO-2, OMI, and TROPOMI. Results highlighted the importance of boundary layer dynamics, entrainment, and vertical mixing processes characterized by studies at NCAR and observational synthesis with data assimilation frameworks used by European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts collaborators. Findings improved emission inventory evaluations for sectors represented in inventories from EPA National Emissions Inventory, identifying underestimated sources linked to transportation corridors studied with mobile labs from Carnegie Mellon University and industrial plumes characterized by teams from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories.
Outcomes from the campaign informed operational retrieval algorithm adjustments and supported decision-makers at agencies including Environmental Protection Agency and state air boards in interpreting satellite data for regulatory contexts. DISCOVER-AQ datasets were used to refine chemical transport models such as WRF-Chem, GEOS-Chem, and CMAQ, benefiting forecasting centers at NOAA National Weather Service and research programs at European Space Agency partners. Public health research groups at Columbia University, University of Washington, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health used the improved surface-satellite relationships to reassess exposure estimates, while urban planners and environmental justice organizations incorporated findings via collaborations with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and local health departments.
The campaign was led by NASA with collaborations from federal agencies including NOAA, EPA, and NSF, and funded through NASA Earth Science Division programs alongside contributions from state agencies and academic grants. Institutional partners included Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, Langley Research Center, and numerous universities and national laboratories. International scientific exchange involved researchers from institutions such as University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, University of Toronto, and Tsinghua University, enabling cross-validation with global satellite missions and fostering training opportunities for students supported by grants from National Science Foundation and fellowships administered by NASA Postdoctoral Program.
Category:NASA Earth science programs