North Carolina Airborne Radar Data for Satellite Precipitation Validation

North Carolina airborne radar data was collected during the 2014 Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment (IPHEx) to validate Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite instruments. The dataset contains radar reflectivity and Doppler velocity profiles from 21 NASA ER-2 flights between May 1 and June 14, 2014, stored in netCDF-4 files. It was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to support hydrological modeling and satellite accuracy evaluation.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived precipitation estimates by comparing them with high-resolution airborne radar reflectivity measurements.
• Analyzing storm structure and dynamics using dual-frequency (Ka- and Ku-band) Doppler velocity profiles.
• Improving hydrological model inputs for the North Carolina region with detailed precipitation profiles.
• Studiating wind and rain profiles from conical scan measurements at 30 and 40-degree incidence angles.
• Calibrating ground-based radar systems using airborne data collected from the NASA ER-2 platform.

Strengths

• Data was collected during a dedicated 45-day field campaign (IPHEx) involving 21 controlled aircraft flights.
• Measurements include dual-frequency radar data (Ka- and Ku-band) and dual-incidence angles (30 and 40 degrees), providing multi-parameter observations.
• The dataset is structured in the self-describing netCDF-4 format, which includes navigation and altitude information alongside the core radar profiles.

Limitations

• The exact file size, row count, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last update date, with one listing 2014-06-12 and another listing 2026-03 13, suggesting potential metadata inconsistencies.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data gathered by the High-Altitude Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (HIWRAP) Doppler radar instrument onboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft during 21 dedicated flights.

Time Range

May 1, 2014 through June 14, 2014

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:24:18.179702

Geography

North Carolina, United States