The Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange Project (STEP) Data on CD-ROM

Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Unknown

Publication_Date: Unknown

Title: The Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange Project (STEP) Data on CD-ROM

Description:

Abstract:

This CD-ROM contains data collected from the Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange Project (STEP) conducted onboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft in January and February, 1987 based in Darwin, Australia. This mission was the last of 6 STEP missions which started with the Variability and Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) Coop assignment in April 1984, based in Moffett Field, California. Altogether, 4 science missions and 2 intercalibration missions comprised STEP, with the science missions designed to investigate different aspects of stratosphere-troposphere exchange (in mass, trace gases, and aerosols), including cloud-free and cloud-dominated mechanisms in both the mid-latitudes and the tropics. STEP also observed the extreme dryness of the stratosphere. STEP was carried out under NASA and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Darwin, Australia phase of STEP utilized 15 instruments and accessed the world's highest, coldest tropopause as well as the largest penetrating cumulonimbus anvils. The flights were designed to test a dehydration mechanism proposed by Danielsen (1982), as well as to acquire sufficient data to test and develop other hypotheses. STEP's first mission was flown in April-May 1984 using six instruments on the NASA U-2 aircraft. The most striking result was the discovery in the stratosphere of highly laminated structures of ozone, water vapor, and condensation nuclei. The U-2 wind measurements indicated that the laminae are caused by waves that fold mixing ratio and potential vorticity surfaces. The folding process greatly increases the vertical gradients of the mixing ratios and the potentials for small-scale instabilities. The latter lead to irreversible mixing; thus a reversible wave-generated transport is rendered irreversible by small-scale instabilities.

Purpose:

Not Available

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: The Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange Project, An Overview and Handbook, 1986. STEP Office, NASA Ames Research Center MS 245-5, Moffett Field, CA 94035. Chan, K.R., S.G. Scott, S.W. Bowen, S.E. Gaines, and E.F. Danielsen, Velocity Fluctuations in the Stratosphere During Large-Scale Cyclogenesis, EOS Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 66, 235, 1985. Danielsen, E.F., A Dehydration Mechanism for the Stratosphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 9, 605-608, 1982. Danielsen, E.F., Potential Vorticity Distributions and the Meteorological Context for NASA's Multiaircraft Exchange Experiments, EOS Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 66, 235, 1985. Danielsen, E.F., Summary of Experimental Evidence and Implications to Theory of Stratospheric-Tropospheric Exchange, EOS Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 66, 236, 1985. Kelly, K.K., Water Vapor Measurements in the Vicinity of a Tropopause Fold, EOS Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 66, 235, 1985. Kritz, M.A. Cosmogenic Radionuclide Measurements in the Vicinity of a Tropopause Fold, EOS Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 66, 236, 1985. Russell, P.B., E.F. Danielsen, and R.A. Craig, The NASA Spring 1984 Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange Experiments: Science Objectives and Operations, EOS Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 66, 235, 1985. Starr, W.L. J.F. Vedder, and E.F. Danielsen, Distribution of Ozone Mixing Ratio and Potential Vorticity in the Stratosphere During STEP Flights, EOS Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 66, 235, 1985. Wilson, J.C., W.T. Lai, and S. Smith, Correlation Between Condensation Nuclei, Ozone, and Water Vapor Observed in the NASA STEP Experiment, EOS Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 66, 235, 1985.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 19840401

Ending_Date: 19870228

Currentness_Reference:Unknown

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As needed

Spatial_Domain:

Description_of_Geographic_Extent:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: 130.0

East_Bounding_Coordinate: -120.0

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 45.0

South_Bounding_Coordinate: -30.0

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD SCIENCE PARAMETERS

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD PLATFORM

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD INSTRUMENT

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: PROJECT

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ANCILLARY KEYWORDS

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO TOPIC CATEGORY

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > AEROSOLS > AEROSOL EXTINCTION

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > AEROSOLS > CLOUD CONDENSATION NUCLEI

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > AIR QUALITY > CARBON MONOXIDE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY > TRACE GASES/TRACE SPECIES

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE > AIR TEMPERATURE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR > HUMIDITY

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR > WATER VAPOR

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > SURFACE WINDS

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > UPPER LEVEL WINDS

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > VORTICITY

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > CLOUDS > CLOUD PROPERTIES > CLOUD FREQUENCY

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > CLOUDS > CLOUD MICROPHYSICS > CLOUD CONDENSATION NUCLEI

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > CLOUDS > CLOUD TYPES

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION > SOLAR RADIATION

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY > CARBON AND HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDS > CARBON DIOXIDE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY > CARBON AND HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDS > CARBON MONOXIDE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY > NITROGEN COMPOUNDS > MOLECULAR NITROGEN

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY > OXYGEN COMPOUNDS > OZONE

Theme_Keyword: NASA ER-2 > NASA EARTH RESOURCES-2

Theme_Keyword: HYGROMETERS

Theme_Keyword: MMS > METEOROLOGICAL MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

Theme_Keyword: PROFILERS

Theme_Keyword: PHOTOMETERS

Theme_Keyword: TEMPERATURE PROFILERS

Theme_Keyword: SPECTROMETERS

Theme_Keyword: STEP > STRATOSPHERE-TROPOSPHERE EXCHANGE PROJECT

Theme_Keyword: Aerosol

Theme_Keyword: Cd-rom

Theme_Keyword: Climatology

Theme_Keyword: Cloud

Theme_Keyword: Condensation Nuclei

Theme_Keyword: Nasa Er-2

Theme_Keyword: Potential Vorticity

Theme_Keyword: Step

Theme_Keyword: Upper Air

Theme_Keyword: CLIMATOLOGY/METEOROLOGY/ATMOSPHERE

Theme_Keyword: ENVIRONMENT

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD

Place_Keyword: OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN

Place_Keyword: CONTINENT > AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND > AUSTRALIA

Place_Keyword: GEOGRAPHIC REGION > EQUATORIAL

Place_Keyword: GEOGRAPHIC REGION > MID-LATITUDE

Place_Keyword: VERTICAL LOCATION > STRATOSPHERE

Place_Keyword: VERTICAL LOCATION > TROPOSPHERE

Access_Constraints: Not Available

Use_Constraints:

Not Available

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: PHILIP B. RUSSELL

Contact_Position: TECHNICAL CONTACT

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: NASA Ames Research Center

Address: MS 245-5

City: Moffett Field

State_or_Province: CA

Postal_Code: 94035

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: (415) 604-5404

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

Not Available

Logical_Consistency_Report:

Not Available

Completeness_Report:

Not Available

Lineage:

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

Not Available

Process_Date: Unknown

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: NASA/ARC/ESD/ESPO > Earth Science Project Office, Earth Sciences Division, Ames Research Center, NASA

Contact_Person: STEVEN GAINES

Contact_Position: DATA CENTER CONTACT

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Resource_Description: STEP87

Distribution_Liability:

Not Available

Standard_Order_Process:

Digital_Form:

Digital_Transfer_Information:

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name:

http://www.espo.nasa.gov/

Access_Instructions:

DATA CENTER URL

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name:

http://cloud1.arc.nasa.gov/step/index.html

Access_Instructions:

The Stratospheric-Troposphere Exchange Project (STEP) home page.

Fees: Not Available

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 19950630

Metadata_Review_Date: 20110126

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: SCOTT A. RITZ

Contact_Position: DIF AUTHOR

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Address: Global Change Master Directory

City: Greenbelt

State_or_Province: Maryland

Postal_Code: 20771

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 301-614-5126

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 301-614-5268

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Scott.A.Ritz@nasa.gov

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998

Metadata_Time_Convention: local time