AMPR ALOFT: Microwave Brightness Temperatures for Thunderstorm Study, June-July 2023

Brightness temperature measurements collected by the Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) onboard the NASA ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft. The dataset was gathered during the ALOFT field campaign from June 15, 2023, through July 31, 2023, to study terrestrial gamma-ray flashes and validate space-based lightning sensors. Data files are provided in netCDF-4 format by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Deriving cloud and precipitation properties based on multi-frequency microwave imagery.
• Studying terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) and gamma-ray glows in thunderstorms based on campaign objectives.
• Validating observations from the ISS Lightning Imaging Sensor and Geostationary Lightning Mapper based on the ALOFT mission goals.
• Analyzing surface and water vapor properties based on the high spatial and temporal resolution microwave data.

Strengths

• Data originates from a NASA high-altitude research aircraft, suggesting authoritative collection methods.
• Provides multi-frequency microwave imagery with high spatial and temporal resolution as described.
• Covers a specific time range from June 15, 2023, through July 31, 2023.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements collected by the Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) onboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft during the ALOFT field campaign.

Time Range

June 15, 2023, through July 31, 2023

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:21:02.078556; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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