Airborne Radar Data for Satellite Wind Validation

St. Croix and surrounding regions are covered by this dataset of airborne radar measurements collected during the CPEX-AW field campaign from August 20 to September 4, 2021. The dataset contains radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity, linear depolarization ratio, and normalized radar cross section measurements from the APR-3 instrument onboard a NASA DC-8 aircraft. It was produced by NASA and ESA as part of a joint effort to validate the ADM-Aeolus satellite wind lidar.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived wind profiles from the ADM-Aeolus mission using concurrent airborne Doppler velocity measurements.
• Analyzing convective storm microphysics through co-located Ka- and Ku-band radar reflectivity and linear depolarization ratio data.
• Studying precipitation processes and aerosol interactions in the tropical Atlantic region during the specified campaign period.
• Comparing normalized radar cross section measurements at different frequencies for radar calibration studies.

Strengths

• Data originates from a focused, joint NASA-ESA field campaign with a clear calibration/validation objective for the ADM-Aeolus satellite.
• Provides multi-parameter radar measurements including reflectivity, Doppler velocity, and depolarization ratios across specific frequency bands (Ka, Ku).
• Covers a defined 16-day period from August 20 to September 4, 2021, offering a temporally concentrated snapshot of atmospheric conditions.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided by any source, limiting precise assessment of data volume and structure.
• Sources conflict on the license, with one specifying 'other-license-specified' and another listing 'None', creating uncertainty for reuse.
• Data is available only in MATLAB (.mat) format with browse images, which may require specialized software for full analysis.

Provenance

Source

NASA GHRC DAAC, from the APR-3 instrument onboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft.

Collection Method

Airborne radar measurements collected during the Convective Processes Experiment – Aerosols & Winds (CPEX-AW) field campaign.

Time Range

2021-08 20 to 2021-09-04

Freshness

2026-03-13 15:47:35.770873

Geography

St. Croix and surrounding regions (implied from campaign description).