GOES-R Post-Launch Aircraft Cloud Radar Profiles

NASA's Cloud Radar System (CRS) dataset contains high-resolution vertical profiles of radar reflectivity and Doppler velocity collected from a high-altitude ER-2 aircraft. This data was gathered during the GOES-R Post Launch Test field campaign from March 21 to May 17, 2017, to validate the performance of the GOES-16 satellite's Advanced Baseline Imager and Geostationary Lightning Mapper. The primary data files are in netCDF-3 format, with supporting browse imagery in PNG.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-based cloud property retrievals from GOES-16 ABI using in-situ radar reflectivity profiles.
• Analyzing vertical wind structure within clouds using nadir Doppler velocity measurements.
• Studying cloud microphysics and precipitation processes via high-resolution radar backscatter data.
• Correlating aircraft-based radar observations with coincident satellite imagery for cross-instrument calibration.

Strengths

• Data was collected during a dedicated, time-bound validation campaign from March 21 to May 17, 2017.
• Profiles provide high-resolution measurements at aircraft nadir along the flight track.
• Data originates from a NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft, a platform for scientific remote sensing.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and complete column lists are not provided by any source.
• Sources disagree on the last updated date: Data.gov lists 2026-03-13, while NASA Earthdata lists 2017-05 17.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collected by the Cloud Radar System (CRS) instrument flown aboard a NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft.

Time Range

March 21, 2017 to May 17, 2017

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:02:34.342301

Geography

Flight tracks from the GOES-R PLT field campaign, specific regions not detailed.