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STEP: Stratospheric-Troposphere Exchange Project

Summary

Stratospheric-Troposphere Exchange Project (STEP) was a project funded by NASA and NOAA.

From the STEP homepage:

The Stratospheric-Troposphere Exchange Project (STEP) has two objectives:

A. Investigate the mechanism and rates of irreversible transfer of mass, trace gases, and aerosols from troposphere to stratosphere and within the lower stratosphere.

B. Explain the observed extreme dryness of the stratosphere

The first objective derives from the need for a better description of how natural and manmade chemicals move from their tropospheric sources to the stratospheric ozone shield. The second objective, though closely related to the first, deserves separate mention because it has been a fundamental mystery of atmospheric science for decades.

The STEP measurement platforms are the NASA U-2 and ER-2 aircraft.

Data access

Datasets from this project

Additional information

GCMD Name S - U > STEP > Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange Project > 3612107e-c5ff-4e9a-9568-28a1524b385c
Related links

Temporal coverage

Begin Date 1984-04-01 00:00:00
End Date 1987-02-28 23:59:59

Spatial coverage


Map data from IBCSO, IBCAO, and Global Topography.

Maximum (North) Latitude: 45.00, Minimum (South) Latitude: -30.00
Minimum (West) Longitude: 130.00, Maximum (East) Longitude: -120.00