GPM Ground Validation APU MC3E Precipitation Particle Dataset

GPM Ground Validation Autonomous Parsivel Unit (APU) MC3E data provides measurements of single precipitation particle size and fall velocity. The dataset was collected during the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) in central Oklahoma from April to June 2011, a collaboration between NASA's GPM mission and the DOE's ARM Climate Research Facility. It captures raindrop size, precipitation rate, and amount to characterize convective cloud systems.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite precipitation estimates from NASA's GPM mission using ground-based raindrop size and fall velocity measurements.
• Analyzing the microphysical structure of convective precipitation events in midlatitude continental regions.
• Providing constraints for improving numerical weather prediction model parameterizations related to cloud and precipitation processes.
• Studying the relationship between raindrop size distribution and precipitation rate or amount during the 2011 MC3E field campaign.

Strengths

• Data originates from a major, collaborative field experiment (MC3E) involving NASA and the DOE ARM facility.
• Provides detailed in-situ measurements of single precipitation particle properties, including size and velocity.
• Covers a focused three-month observation period (April-June 2011) during a convective season.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and a complete list of data columns are not provided by any source.
• Conflicting license information exists: one source specifies 'other-license-specified', while another lists 'None'.
• The most recent update date is inconsistent across platforms (2011 vs. 2026), creating uncertainty about data currency.

Provenance

Source

NASA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission Ground Validation program and the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility.

Collection Method

Collected by an Autonomous Parsivel Unit (APU) optical disdrometer, designed by the University of Alabama in Huntsville using an OTT Parsivel instrument.

Time Range

April 2011 to June 2011

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:26:11.720782

Geography

Central Oklahoma, United States