NOXP Radar Observations from the GPM IPHEx Southern Appalachians Campaign

NOXP mobile radar data captures dual-polarimetric measurements including differential reflectivity, Doppler velocity, and rainfall rate during the 2014 GPM Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment. The dataset covers a 56-day campaign from April 21 to June 15, 2014, in the Pigeon River basin of North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountains. It was collected by the NOAA National Severe Storm Laboratory and archived by the GHRC DAAC.

Use Cases

• Validating Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite retrievals using ground-based radar observations of reflectivity and rainfall rate.
• Analyzing storm microphysics and hydrometeor classification using dual-polarimetric variables like differential reflectivity and co-polar cross correlation.
• Studying the vertical structure of precipitation and melting layer dynamics with the melting layer index and spectrum width data.
• Investigating drop size distribution characteristics and their relationship to radar-measured parameters in complex terrain.
• Correlating radar-derived precipitation estimates with hydrological models in the Southern Appalachian river basin.

Strengths

• Provides high-resolution, dual-polarimetric radar measurements specifically for ground validation of the GPM satellite mission.
• Includes complementary visual documentation of weather conditions via on-site JPG photos.
• Covers a focused 56-day intensive observation period during the IPHEx field campaign.

Limitations

• Exact row count, dataset size, and complete column list are not specified across any platform.
• Conflicting last update dates exist: one source lists 2014-06 15, while others list 2026-03-13, suggesting possible metadata inconsistencies.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without clear terms.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Severe Storm Laboratory (NSSL), GHRC DAAC.

Collection Method

Collected by the mobile NOAA X-band dual-Polarimetric (NOXP) radar during the IPHEx field campaign.

Time Range

April 21, 2014 through June 15, 2014.

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:00:54.373793

Geography

Pigeon River basin, Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina, USA, extending into the Southern Appalachians, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain regions.