GPM Ground Validation Micro Rain Radar Data from IPHEx Experiment

GPM Ground Validation Duke Micro Rain Radar (MRR) IPHEx dataset contains measured and derived atmospheric data from three vertically oriented K-band radars deployed in North Carolina. The dataset was collected by NASA during the Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment from May 1 to June 15, 2014. It includes Doppler spectra, radar reflectivity, and derived precipitation parameters from the ground validation campaign for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission.

Use Cases

• Analyzing drop size distribution and rain rate to study precipitation microphysics.
• Validating satellite-derived precipitation estimates from the GPM mission using ground-based radar reflectivity and Doppler velocity.
• Investigating the vertical structure of rainfall and liquid water content for hydrological modeling.
• Studying path integrated attenuation to understand signal loss in radar observations of precipitation.

Strengths

• Data originates from a focused NASA field campaign (IPHEx) with a defined time range of over 45 days.
• Includes measurements from three separate instrument locations, allowing for spatial analysis within the study region.
• Provides both raw signal backscatter and multiple derived parameters like drop size distribution and rain rate.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• Data format is listed as ASCII, but available file formats include BIN, ISO, HTML, and PDF, indicating potential ancillary files.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one listing 2026-03-13 and another 2014-06 15.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Data gathered from three Biral/Metek 24 GHz vertically oriented Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FM-CW) radars measuring signal backscatter.

Time Range

May 1, 2014 through June 15, 2014

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:25:25.623046

Geography

North Carolina, United States