Ground-Based Microwave Radiometer Data from Cold Land Processes Field Experiment

Microwave radiometry data was collected at the Local Scale Observation Site (LSOS) in Colorado, USA, during the fourth Intensive Observation Period (IOP4) of the Cold Land Processes Field Experiment (CLPX) in March-April 2003. The dataset, titled 'CLPX-Ground: University of Michigan Ground-Based Microwave Radiometer, Version 1', is managed by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). It provides measurements of microwave brightness temperatures from a ground-based perspective.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-borne microwave radiometer retrievals of snow water equivalent using ground-based brightness temperature measurements.
• Studying the temporal evolution of snowpack properties like grain size and density during spring melt periods.
• Developing and calibrating forward models for microwave emission from snow-covered terrain.
• Analyzing the relationship between in-situ snow measurements and passive microwave signatures.

Strengths

• Data originates from a controlled field experiment (CLPX) designed for validating cold land processes models.
• Provides temporally dense observations during a specific intensive observation period (IOP4) in March-April 2003.
• Managed by a recognized data center (NSIDC), suggesting structured archival and documentation.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are not provided by any source, limiting immediate usability assessment.
• Conflicting last-update dates exist between sources (2003-04-02 and 2026-03-13), creating uncertainty about the most recent metadata modification.

Provenance

Source

University of Michigan (instrument), National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) (archive).

Collection Method

Ground-based microwave radiometer measurements collected during the Cold Land Processes Field Experiment (CLPX).

Time Range

March 2003 to April 2003

Freshness

2026-03-13 03:16:13.245884

Geography

Local Scale Observation Site (LSOS), Colorado, USA.