NOAA S-Band Profiler Radar Data from MC3E Campaign

Radar profiles provide calibrated and raw Doppler spectra from a vertically-pointing S-band profiler during the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment. Data was collected in Oklahoma from April 16 to June 7, 2011, to characterize convective cloud systems and precipitation for validating satellite rainfall retrievals and model parameterizations. The dataset is managed by the GHRC DAAC and consists of hourly files in netCDF format containing reflectivity spectral density and other spectral moments.

Use Cases

• Calibrating space-based rainfall retrieval algorithms over land using ground-based reflectivity spectral density profiles.
• Providing constraints for model cumulus parameterizations with detailed vertical profiles of precipitation and cloud particle spectra.
• Analyzing the microphysical structure of convective systems using calibrated and uncalibrated Doppler velocity spectra.
• Studying the vertical distribution of raindrops and ice particles through 60-meter resolution range gate data.
• Comparing precipitation mode (full-power) and attenuated mode (low-power) radar operations to understand signal dynamics.

Strengths

• Data includes calibrated spectra, with calibration performed against a surface disdrometer to determine a radar constant.
• Provides high vertical resolution profiles with range gates separated by 60 meters.
• Covers a focused 53-day field campaign (MC3E) designed for detailed convective cloud characterization.
• Contains multiple data products including moment, pop spectra (raw), and calibrated spectra files.

Limitations

• Exact file count, dataset size, and row counts are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, citing both 2011-06-07 and 2026-03 13.

Provenance

Source

GHRC_DAAC

Collection Method

Data gathered by a NOAA S-band profiler operating at 2.8 GHz in vertical-pointing mode, alternating between precipitation and attenuated power modes during 7-second dwells.

Time Range

2011-04-16 to 2011-06-07

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:20:14.487318

Geography

Oklahoma, USA