CAMEX-4 Atmospheric Sounding Data from High Altitude Radiometer

Data from the 2001 CAMEX-4 field campaign collected by the High Altitude MMIC Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR) instrument. This microwave atmospheric sounder, developed by NASA JPL, operated 25 spectral channels between 50-190 GHz to measure temperature, water vapor, and liquid water in the atmosphere. It was mounted on a NASA ER-2 research aircraft.

Use Cases

• Retrieving 3D atmospheric temperature profiles using microwave brightness temperature measurements.
• Analyzing vertical distribution of water vapor and cloud liquid water, even under cloudy conditions.
• Validating and improving numerical weather prediction and climate models with in-situ-like airborne observations.
• Studying tropical cyclone structure and evolution during the CAMEX-4 hurricane campaign.

Strengths

• Provides 25-channel spectral measurements in the 50-190 GHz range, enabling detailed atmospheric profiling.
• Data was collected by a NASA-developed instrument during a dedicated field campaign (CAMEX-4), ensuring controlled acquisition.
• Measurements can penetrate clouds, providing atmospheric data under conditions where optical sensors fail.

Limitations

• Key dataset specifications such as row count, file size, and exact column structure are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date, with one listing 2001-09-25 and another listing 2026-03 13, creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Collection Method

Data collected by the HAMSR microwave radiometer mounted on a NASA ER-2 research aircraft during the CAMEX-4 field campaign.

Time Range

2001 (CAMEX-4 campaign period).

Freshness

2026-03-13 07:04:04.851890

Geography

Areas covered by the CAMEX-4 aircraft flight paths, typically focused on tropical Atlantic regions.