Iowa Flood Studies Raindrop Measurements from Six Sites

Six ground-based Two-Dimensional Video Disdrometer (2DVD) instruments collected raindrop data in central-northeastern Iowa from April 3 to June 18, 2013. This dataset was part of the GPM Ground Validation Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS) campaign to improve satellite precipitation retrieval algorithms for flood prediction. The instruments, developed by Joanneum Research, measured raindrop size distribution, shape, and velocity.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived precipitation rate estimates using ground-measured raindrop size distributions.
• Analyzing the relationship between raindrop shape and velocity for microphysical model parameterization.
• Calibrating weather radar rainfall algorithms with direct measurements of hydrometeor characteristics.
• Studying spatial variability of precipitation microphysics across six sites during a spring flood season.

Strengths

• Data collection spanned a 76-day period from April 3 to June 18, 2013, exceeding the official campaign window.
• Measurements were taken from six distinct sites, providing spatial coverage for analysis.
• Instruments were specifically calibrated for the campaign, as noted in the installation period prior to May 1.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided by any source, limiting assessment of data volume and granularity.
• Sources conflict on the license, with one specifying 'other-license-specified' and another listing 'None'.

Provenance

Source

GHRC_DAAC

Collection Method

Collected by Two-Dimensional Video Disdrometer (2DVD) instruments developed by Joanneum Research.

Time Range

2013-04-03 to 2013-06-18

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:18:58.926257

Geography

Central-northeastern Iowa, USA