NASA's Global Hydrometeorology Resource Center Distributed Active Archive Center (GHRC DAAC) has released the Meteorological and Navigation Data (METNAV) ALOFT dataset, which contains information recorded by the onboard navigation and data collection systems of the NASA ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft. In addition to typical navigation data (date, time, latitude/longitude, and altitude), the dataset contains outside meteorological parameters such as wind speed, wind direction, and temperature.
The data were collected during the Airborne Lightning Observatory for FEGS and TGFs (ALOFT) field campaign. ALOFT aimed to:
- Observe terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) in one of the most TGF-intense regions on the planet;
- Observe gamma-ray glows in thunderstorms and their relation to TGFs;
- Perform ISS Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) and Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) validation using improved suborbital instrumentation;
- Evaluate new design concepts for next-generation spaceborne lightning mappers;
- Make combined microwave and lightning measurements of tropical convection from a suborbital platform.
The ALOFT navigation dataset files are available in ASCII format for the period from June 15 through July 31, 2023.