Cloud Radar Profiles for GPM Satellite Validation in North Carolina

Aircraft-based Cloud Radar System data were collected to validate satellite precipitation measurements from the Global Precipitation Measurement mission. The dataset contains high-resolution profiles of radar reflectivity and Doppler velocity from flights over North Carolina during the Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment. Data files are available in netCDF-3 format for the period from May 3, 2014, through June 12, 2014.

Use Cases

• Validating GPM satellite precipitation estimates using airborne radar reflectivity profiles as a proxy.
• Analyzing cloud microphysical properties and dynamics via high-resolution Doppler velocity measurements.
• Improving regional hydrology models by incorporating detailed precipitation structure data from the IPHEx campaign.
• Studying the vertical structure of clouds and precipitation systems in the southeastern United States.

Strengths

• Data provides high-resolution vertical profiles of key cloud properties (reflectivity, Doppler velocity).
• Collection was part of a coordinated field campaign (IPHEx) with a defined scientific goal for satellite validation.
• Data availability spans a focused 41-day period during the core experiment.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and total dataset size are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, reporting either 2014-06-12 or 2026-03-13.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without clear terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the Cloud Radar System instrument aboard the ER 2 aircraft during the IPHEx field campaign.

Time Range

May 3, 2014 to June 12, 2014

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:25:28.204917

Geography

North Carolina, United States