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Dust/Ash/Smoke Data Access and Tools

Dust, ash, and smoke data from NASA range from aerosol indexes to fire and thermal anomaly detections. Our datasets and tools help users find and integrate the data they need to track airborne particles, locate their sources, determine their downstream effects and other important facts.

Commonly Used Dust Score Data at a Glance

Very large dust storms lasting hours or days can be observed and tracked using satellite imagery. The amount of dust transported by these storms can be quantified using the Dust Score, which is calculated from data acquired by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite. The AIRS Dust Score indicates the level of atmospheric aerosols in Earth’s atmosphere over the ocean. Dust is probable when the score is above 380, and higher scores indicate more certainty that dust is present. The numerical scale is a qualitative representation of the presence of dust in the atmosphere, an indication of where large dust storms may form, and the areas that may be affected.

An asterisk (*) next to an entry indicates that near real-time (NRT) data products are available through NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE). While not intended for scientific research, NRT data are good resources for monitoring ongoing or time-critical events. For more information about the differences between NRT and Standard Science Products, please see Near Real-Time versus Standard Products.

Spatial Resolution	Spatial Coverage	Temporal Resolution	Temporal Coverage	Spectral Resolution	Satellite/ Platform	Name (Sensor, Model, etc.)	Observation, Model, or Reanalysis	File Format
50 km	Global	6 min, hourly, 3-hourly, 6-hourly	2016-present for NRT, 2002 for other	2,378 infrared channels in the 3.74 to 15.4 micron spectral range	Aqua	*AIRS	Observation	HDF-EOS

Dust/Ash/Smoke Datasets

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Dataset Sort descending	Version	Platform	Instrument	Temporal Extent	Spatial Extent	Spatial Resolution	Data Format
CALIPSO Lidar Level 2 Vertical Feature Mask (VFM), V4-51	V4-51	CALIPSO	CALIOP	2006-06-12 to 2023-06-30			HDF4
CALIPSO Lidar Level 2 Vertical Feature Mask (VFM), V5-00	V5-00	CALIPSO	CALIOP	2006-06-12 to 2023-06-30			HDF4
CALIPSO Lidar Level 3 Tropospheric Aerosol Profiles, All Sky Data, Standard V4-21	V4-21	CALIPSO	CALIOP	2020-07-01 to 2022-01-01			HDF4
CALIPSO Lidar Level 3 Tropospheric Aerosol Profiles, Cloud Free Data, Standard V4-21	V4-21	CALIPSO	CALIOP	2020-07-01 to 2022-01-01			HDF4
CALIPSO Lidar Level 3 Tropospheric Aerosol Profiles, Cloudy Sky Transparent Data, Standard V4-21	V4-21	CALIPSO	CALIOP	2020-07-01 to 2022-01-01			HDF4
CAMP2Ex Miscellaneous Data	1	SATELLITES		2018-08-01 to 2019-10-08	N: 45 S: -10 E: 180 W: -180		NetCDF-4, ICARTT, GIF, PNG, JPEG
CARVE: Fire-Related Aerosol and Soil Elemental and Isotopic Composition, Alaska, 2013	1	FIELD INVESTIGATION	MASS SPECTROMETERS	2013-06-27 to 2013-08-10	N: 70.5 S: 61.5 E: -140 W: -168		CSV
Climatological Monthly Frequency of Dust Storm over Land for Varying Intensities, Based on MODIS Aqua Deep Blue Level 2 Aerosol Products MYD04_L2 Collection 6.1, on a Global 0.1 by 0.1 Degree Grid, Level 3 Version 1 (MYDFDS_CLM_GLB_L3)	1	Aqua	MODIS	2003-01-01 to 2022-12-31	N: 79.9 S: -80 E: 174.9 W: -175	0.1 Decimal Degrees x 0.1 Decimal Degrees
Climatological Monthly Frequency of Dust Storm over Land for Varying Intensities, Based on MODIS Terra Deep Blue Level 2 Aerosol Products MOD04_L2 Collection 6.1, on a Global 0.1 by 0.1 Degree Grid, Level 3 Version 1 (MODFDS_CLM_GLB_L3)	1	Terra	MODIS	2000-01-01 to 2022-12-31	N: 79.9 S: -80 E: 174.9 W: -175	0.1 Decimal Degrees x 0.1 Decimal Degrees
DC3 In-Situ DC-8 Aircraft Aerosol Data	1	NASA DC-8	PSAP, APS, TSI CPC-3010, SMPS, UHSAS, LASER SPECTROMETER, AMS, DMT SP2, PALMS, PI-NEPH, DASH-SP, LWCC, CCN	2012-05-04 to 2012-08-28	N: 42.16 S: 30.89 E: -78.97 W: -121.61		ICARTT
DC3 Merge Data Files	1	DLR-Falcon, NSF/NCAR GV HIAPER, NASA DC-8		2012-05-18 to 2012-06-30	N: 42.73 S: 25 E: -78.97 W: -106.19		ICARTT
DISCOVER-AQ Texas Deployment P-3B Aircraft Merged Data Files	1	P-3B	Computer	2011-06-30 to 2013-10-01	N: 43 S: 23 E: -70 W: -100		ICARTT
DSCOVR EPIC L2 Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) Version 02	02	DSCOVR	EPIC	2015-06-13 to Present			HDF5
DSCOVR EPIC Level 2 EPICAERUV-Fast	01	DSCOVR	EPIC	2020-09-01 to Present			HDF-EOS5
DSCOVR EPIC Level 2 UV Aerosol Version 3	03	DSCOVR	EPIC	2015-06-16 to Present			HDF-EOS5
DSCOVR EPIC Level 2 UV Aerosol Version 4	04	DSCOVR	EPIC	2015-06-16 to Present		12 Kilometers x 12 Kilometers	HDF5
EPIC Ocean Surface PAR Version 2	02	DSCOVR	EPIC	2015-06-13 to Present			HDF5
FIREX-AQ MACH2 Surface Mobile In-Situ Measurements	1	NASA MACH-2	Aerodyne CAPS, APS, OPS, E-BAM, SPECTROMETERS, MAAP, TAP, GPS, TEMPERATURE SENSORS, TSI-3563 Neph, SpEx, ION CHROMATOGRAPHS, DMT UHSAS	2019-07-21 to 2019-08-30	N: 60 S: 15 E: 120 W: -135		ICARTT
FIREX-AQ Merge Data Files	2	NASA DC-8	GPS, MMS, DLH, LGR, CDP, CAPS, AMS, ION CHROMATOGRAPHS, PTR-MS, GC-MS, ACES	2019-07-22 to 2019-09-06	N: 60 S: 15 E: -75 W: -135		ICARTT
FIREX-AQ NOAA-CHEM Twin Otter Analysis Data	1	MODELS	Computer	2019-07-29 to 2019-09-06	N: 60 S: 15 E: -75 W: -135		ICARTT
FLEXPART dust aerosol L4 global daily 1 x 1 degrees V1 (DUSTFLEXPART)	1	FLEXPART	NOT APPLICABLE	2008-01-01 to 2015-12-31	N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180	1 Decimal Degrees x 1 Decimal Degrees
Global Space-based Stratospheric Aerosol Climatology Version 1.1	1.1	CALIPSO, UARS, ERBS	CALIOP, CLAES, HALOE, SAGE II	1979-01-01 to 2016-12-31			NetCDF-3
Global Space-based Stratospheric Aerosol Climatology Version 2.0	2.0	CALIPSO, UARS, ERBS	CALIOP, CLAES, HALOE, SAGE II	1979-01-01 to 2018-12-31			NetCDF-3
Global Space-based Stratospheric Aerosol Climatology Version 2.1	2.1	ERBS, CALIPSO, UARS, ISS	SAGE II, CALIOP, CLAES, HALOE, SAGE III	1979-01-01 to 2020-12-31			NetCDF-3
Global Space-based Stratospheric Aerosol Climatology Version 2.2	2.2	ERBS, CALIPSO, UARS, ISS	SAGE II, CALIOP, CLAES, SAGE III	1979-01-01 to 2021-12-31			NetCDF-3

image of Earthdata graphic identifier design on top of data points

AIRS Near Real-Time Data

Near real-time 3D atmospheric data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument are available through NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for Earth observation (LANCE).

This image from the AIRS instrument shows surface air temperature over North America and the Arctic on December 22nd, 2022.

Contributions of NASA's AIRS Instrument Continue with CrIS, ATMS

Next-generation instruments aboard Joint Polar Satellite System spacecraft provide continuity to the AIRS project that began in 2002.

11 MIN READ

Access AIRS data from GES DISC via OPeNDAP

Learn how to access and visualize Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) grid data from NASA's Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) in Python.

A destroyed amusement park wrecked by Hurricane Sandy

LANCE Data Contribute to the Successful Forecast of Hurricane Sandy

A recent study reviewed the impact of satellite data in accurately forecasting the path of Hurricane Sandy. The study showed that AIRS NRT data from NASA’s polar-orbiting satellites significantly improve these predictions.

6 MIN READ

Dust/Ash/Smoke Data Tools

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