OLYMPEX Dropsonde Atmospheric Profiles from NASA DC-8 Flights

Dropsonde vertical profiles provide atmospheric pressure, temperature, dew point, humidity, wind, and location data from the Olympic Mountains Experiment (OLYMPEX). NASA collected the data using the Advanced Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) during 53 dropsonde launches from a DC-8 aircraft between November 12 and December 19, 2015. The profiles were gathered over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington state.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite precipitation estimates from the GPM mission using in-situ atmospheric profiles.
• Analyzing vertical wind shear and thermodynamic stability for storm forecasting by examining wind direction, magnitude, and temperature columns.
• Studying the structure of atmospheric rivers and orographic precipitation using humidity and temperature data from coastal Pacific dropsondes.
• Assimilating observational data into numerical weather prediction models to improve forecast accuracy for the Pacific Northwest region.

Strengths

• Contains 53 detailed vertical atmospheric profiles from a controlled research campaign, providing a substantial observational snapshot.
• Profiles include multiple key atmospheric variables: pressure, air temperature, dew point temperature, relative humidity, wind direction, wind magnitude, and sensor location.
• Data collection is precisely documented, occurring during specific NASA DC-8 flights over a defined period from November 12 to December 19, 2015.

Limitations

• The exact column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided by any source, limiting precise technical assessment.
• Sources conflict on the last update date (2015-12-19 vs. 2026-03-13), creating uncertainty about post-processing or metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected via 53 standard research dropsondes launched from a NASA DC-8 aircraft using the Advanced Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS).

Time Range

November 12, 2015 to December 19, 2015

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:27:08.072038

Geography

Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington state, USA