GPM Ground Validation Micro Rain Radar Data for Light Precipitation

NASA's GPM Ground Validation Micro Rain Radar (MRR) LPVEx dataset contains vertically-oriented radar measurements from a 2010 field campaign around the Gulf of Finland. It provides Doppler spectra, radar reflectivity, and derived products like rain rate and drop size distribution from four sites to validate satellite precipitation algorithms. Data is stored in ASCII format.

Use Cases

• Validating and improving satellite-based precipitation retrieval algorithms for the GPM mission using ground-truth radar reflectivity and Doppler velocity.
• Studying the microphysics of light rainfall events through derived drop size distribution and liquid water content data.
• Analyzing vertical profiles of precipitation structure from multiple remote sites and a research vessel over a specific region.
• Investigating path integrated attenuation for radar signal correction in K-band frequency observations.

Strengths

• Data originates from a dedicated NASA field campaign (LPVEx) designed for high-altitude, light rainfall measurement.
• Provides measurements from four distinct locations (Jarvenpaa, Emasalo, Harmaja, RV Aranda), offering spatial context.
• Includes both raw measured signal backscatter and multiple derived geophysical parameters (e.g., rain rate, drop size distribution).

Limitations

• Conflicting last updated dates exist between platforms (2011-03 30 on NASA Earthdata vs. 2026-03-13 on Data.gov), casting doubt on metadata freshness.
• Key quantitative details like row count, file size, and a complete column list are unavailable across all sources.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collected by Biral/Metek 24 GHz vertically oriented Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FM-CW) radars during the Light Precipitation Validation Experiment (LPVEx) field campaign.

Time Range

September and October 2010

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:02:25.137589

Geography

Gulf of Finland region (sites: Jarvenpaa, Emasalo, Harmaja, research vessel Aranda)