Cloud Particle Spectra from Finnish Aircraft Campaign

Particle size spectra data were collected to validate satellite observations for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration gathered measurements from the Cloud spectrometer and impactor and a 2D-S probe aboard the University of Wyoming King Air aircraft. The dataset covers a campaign in Finland from August to October 2010.

Use Cases

• Validating GPM satellite precipitation retrievals using in-situ particle size and concentration measurements.
• Analyzing the relationship between atmospheric conditions (temperature, pressure, altitude) and hydrometeor properties.
• Studying the size distribution of cloud droplets and particles with diameters greater than 100 microns in light precipitation systems.
• Investigating spatial (latitude, longitude) and vertical (altitude) variability of cloud microphysics during the LPVEx campaign.

Strengths

• Data originates from a controlled NASA ground validation experiment designed for satellite calibration.
• Includes co-located in-situ measurements from two instruments (CIP and 2D-S) for cross-comparison.
• Provides key geospatial and atmospheric context with latitude, longitude, altitude, pressure, and temperature fields.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and the complete column schema are not provided on any platform.
• Platforms disagree on the last update date: Data.gov lists 2026-03 13, while NASA Earthdata lists 2010-10-20.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected by the Cloud spectrometer and impactor (CIP) and 2D-S probe aboard the University of Wyoming King Air aircraft.

Time Range

August 2010 to October 2010

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:26:02.408226

Geography

Finland