GFS CPEX: Model Data for a Convective Storm Field Campaign

NASA's Global Forecast System (GFS) CPEX dataset contains model data simulated for the Convective Processes Experiment (CPEX) aircraft field campaign. The campaign took place from 25 May to 25 June 2017 in the North Atlantic-Gulf of America-Caribbean Sea region, conducting sixteen DC-8 missions. These data are intended to help explain convective storm initiation, organization, growth, and dissipation.

Use Cases

• Validating and improving convective parameterization in weather models based on simulated atmospheric temperature and humidity indices.
• Analyzing storm initiation and growth patterns using time-series model outputs for the North Atlantic region.
• Comparing forecast model performance against observed field campaign data for atmospheric precipitation indices.

Strengths

• Data is tied to a specific, well-documented NASA field campaign (CPEX) with 16 aircraft missions.
• Covers a focused temporal period relevant to early summer convective activity in 2017.
• Available on multiple government platforms (Data.gov, NASA Earthdata), suggesting official curation.

Limitations

• Column names and dataset size are not specified on any platform, limiting precise understanding of contents.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' on Data.gov but 'None' on NASA Earthdata.
• The last update date conflicts between platforms (2026 vs. 2017), raising questions about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Model data simulated by the Global Forecast System (GFS) model for a field campaign.

Time Range

May 24, 2017 through July 20, 2017

Freshness

2026-04-10 02:27:21.571748

Geography

North Atlantic-Gulf of America-Caribbean Sea region