GPM OLYMPEX Ground Validation Precipitation Particle Data

GPM Ground Validation Autonomous Parsivel Unit (APU) OLYMPEX V1 dataset contains precipitation particle measurements from 16 optical laser disdrometers deployed during the OLYMPEX field campaign. Data includes precipitation amount, rate, reflectivity, liquid water content, drop diameter, and drop concentration for the intense observation period from November 2015 to January 2016 on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. The dataset was collected by NASA for ground validation of the Global Precipitation Measurement mission.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite precipitation retrievals from the GPM mission using ground-based reflectivity and precipitation rate measurements.
• Analyzing drop size distribution and hydrometeor concentration for precipitation microphysics research.
• Studying spatial and temporal variability of precipitation types (rain, drizzle) during a winter campaign using liquid water content and drop diameter data.

Strengths

• Data collected by a network of 16 identical sensor units, providing spatial consistency.
• Covers an intense, focused observation period of three months during the OLYMPEX campaign.
• Measures specific precipitation particle properties like size and fall velocity using laser disdrometry.

Limitations

• Exact row count, dataset size, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one listing 2016-01-31 and another listing 2026-03-13 (likely a metadata error).

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collected by 16 Autonomous Parsivel Units (APUs), optical laser disdrometers based on single particle extinction.

Time Range

November 2015 to January 2016

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:06:41.054559

Geography

Washington's Olympic Peninsula, USA