Atmospheric and Meteorological Data From the Kuwait Oil Fires Taken from Ground

Observations

BRIEF

Ground-based studies of the smoke and air quality from the Kuwait oil fires were carried out in 1991 at the end of the Persian Gulf War. Over 600 oil wells, storage tanks, and refineries were ignited by the Iraqi army as they fled Kuwait in Frebuary 1991. The fires produced large smoke plumes which had a significant environmental effect on the Persian Gulf region. Ground-based observations of the meteorology and air quality in the Persian Gulf region consist of both land-based surface observations and land-based upper air observations.

Land-based surface observations consisted of: 1) MEPA - Mobile Air Quality Stations operating at 6 sites in Saudi Arabia. These stations measured meteorological parameters (pressure, relative humidity, temperature, and wind speed and direction), air chemistry (H2S,NH3,nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), nitrous oxide (N2O), ozone and sulfur dioxide (SO2), and visible radiation; (2) National Meteorological Center (NMC) meteorological data from many different sites/airports/military installations in the Persian Gulf region; (3) wind measurements from 13 meteorological towers in Kuwait; (4) Obirin University, Tokyo, Japan air quality measurements at various sites in Kuwait City; (5) SAIC (sponsored by DNA) radiometers collected at the University of Bahrain and the Bahrain Meteorological Office. These include measurements from monochromators, Epply pyranometers, ultraviolet radiometers, and rotating shadowband radiometers.

Upper air measurements and meteorological observations were obtained by the NMC at different ground sites throughout the Persian Gulf region.

The Kuwait oil fire ground-observation data are organized by site. There were about 80-90 sites where measurements were conducted. The ground-based data can be ordered on-line at the Kuwait Data Archive (KuDA) via internet: telnet kuda.atd.ucar.edu (login: kuda; password: science). Access software is available to read the data and browse the metadata.

ATTRIBUTES

Entry_ID: KUDA_GROUND_OBS (MD Identifier: 4927)
 
Temporal Coverage:
     From: 1991-01-01                 TO: 1991-12-31 
 
Geographic Coverage:
     Southwest Extent: 20N,40E     Northeast Extent:  35N,60E
 
Source:
     GROUND BASED OBSERVATIONS
     GROUND BASED STATIONS
     GROUND STATIONS>Airports
 
Sensor:
     MONOCHROMATOR
     PYRANOMETER
     RADIOMETER
     ROTATING SHADOWBAND RADIOMETER
     WIND RECORDERS
 
Storage Media:
     IBM cartride tapes
 
Discipline, Subdiscipline:
     EARTH SCIENCE                   > ATMOSPHERE
 
Location Keyword:
     ASIA>Middle East
     BOUNDARY LAYER
     TROPOSPHERE
 
Parameter Group, Parameter:
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > AEROSOLS
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > AIR QUALITY
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > ASH
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > CONTAMINANTS
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > HUMIDITY
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > NITROGEN DIOXIDE
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > NITROGEN OXIDES
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > NITROUS OXIDE
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > NON-METHANE HYDROCARBONS
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > OZONE
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > TRACE ELEMENTS
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > TRACE GASES
     ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION         > WATER VAPOR
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > HUMIDITY
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > PRESSURE
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > SOLAR RADIATION
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > VISIBILITY
     ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS            > WINDS
 
General Keywords:
     AIR POLLUTION
     AMMONIUM
     BAHRAIN
     BENZO(A)PYRENE
     CLOUD FRACTION
     DEWPOINT TEMPERATURE
     DNA
     DOD
     DOE
     EPA
     H2S
     HYDROGEN SULFIDE
     IDN_NODE GSFC/KUDA
     INFRARED RADIATION
     IR RADIATION
     KUWAIT
     KUWAIT OIL FIRES
     MEPA
     METEOROLOGICAL TOWERS
     MIDDLE EAST
     N2O
     NH3
     NMC
     NO2
     NOAA
     NOX
     NSF
     O3
     OBIRIN UNIVERSITY
     OIL FIRES
     PARTICULATE CONCENTRATIONS
     PERSIAN GULF
     SAIC
     SAUDI ARABIA
     SEA-LEVEL PRESSURE
     SMOKE
     SO2
     SULFUR DIOXIDE
     ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
     UV RADIATION
     VISIBLE RADIATION
 
Science Review Date: 1993-12-06
 
Revision Date: 1994-03-03

DATACENTER

Archive: 
   KUDA>Kuwait Data Archive (KUDA)
 
   Contact: HAGGERTY, JULIE 
            Kuwait Data Archive
            National Center for Atmospheric Research
            ATD/RAF
            P.O. Box 3000
            Boulder, CO  80307
 
            Electronic Mail: INTERNET> kudastaff@kuda.atd.ucar.edu
                             OMNET> ncar.raf
 
            Phone: 303-497-1029
                   303-497-1058
                   303-497-1092 FAX

PERSONNEL

Tech Contact: HAGGERTY, JULIE 
              Kuwait Data Archive
              National Center for Atmospheric Research
              ATD/RAF
              P.O. Box 3000
              Boulder, CO  80307
 
              Electronic Mail: INTERNET> kudastaff@kuda.atd.ucar.edu
                               OMNET> ncar.raf
 
              Phone: 303-497-1029
                     303-497-1058
                     303-497-1092 FAX
 
Entry Author: MAJOR, GENE R.
              Hughes STX
              7701 Greenbelt Road, Suite 400
              Greenbelt, MD 20770
              USA
 
              Electronic Mail: INTERNET> MAJOR@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV
                               NSI/DECNET> NSSDCA::MAJOR
 
              Phone: (301) 441-4199
 
 
Information in this entry provided by KuDA

REFERENCE


J. Geophys. Res. Vol 97, No. DVol. 97, D13, September 20, 1992. Special section
on the Kuwait oil fire results.

SUP_MENU

   1. Data Center: KUDA>Kuwait Data Archive (KUDA)