BARREL 1M Rate Counter Data: 4-Second Accumulations from Balloon Campaigns

Four balloon campaigns conducted between 2013 and 2016 from Antarctica and Sweden collected this data. The dataset consists of 4-second accumulations of rate counter measurements from NaI scintillators, used as diagnostics for studying electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts. It was produced by NASA as part of the BARREL mission, which coordinated with the Van Allen Probes and other instruments.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal variations in electron precipitation based on 4-second rate count accumulations.
• Studying the spatial scale of relativistic electron precipitation based on balloon array measurements across magnetic local time.
• Correlating balloon-based X-ray measurements with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes.
• Investigating ULF-timescale magnetic field variations using the accompanying DC magnetometer data mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Data spans four distinct campaigns from 2013 to 2016, providing multi-year coverage.
• Over 50 stratospheric balloons were launched across the campaigns, offering spatial array data.
• Coordinated measurements with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground/space-based instruments.

Limitations

• Rate count values are uncalibrated and may wrap near or above 16384 counts/s.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and exact data volume are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Measurements from rate counters on small stratospheric balloons carrying X-ray spectrometers and DC magnetometers.

Time Range

2013-2016

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 14:09:43.822047; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Balloon launches from Halley Bay and SANAE IV base in Antarctica (2013-2014) and Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden (2015-2016).