Light Precipitation Microphysics Data for Satellite Validation

Finland's Gulf of Finland hosted the Light Precipitation Evaluation Experiment (LPVEx) in September and October 2010. This dataset contains ground validation measurements from a Two-Dimensional Video Disdrometer (2DVD), collected by NASA to evaluate satellite-based precipitation detection algorithms for light rain in high-latitude environments. It provides in-situ microphysical property measurements to augment the limited database for satellite retrieval assumptions.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-based precipitation estimates from GPM's Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) and passive microwave sensors using ground-truth droplet size and fall velocity data.
• Analyzing the microphysical properties of light rainfall, such as droplet size distribution and hydrometeor type, to improve model assumptions for high-latitude regions.
• Studying the relationship between in-situ disdrometer measurements and coordinated remote sensing observations to characterize shallow freezing level precipitation systems.
• Augmenting the database of light rainfall properties to support the development and testing of next-generation satellite precipitation retrieval algorithms.

Strengths

• Provides targeted in-situ measurements for a specific scientific campaign (LPVEx) focused on a critical data gap: light rain at high latitudes.
• Supports validation for multiple current and future satellite platforms, including CloudSat, GPM DPR, and GMI, indicating its relevance for cross-mission analysis.
• Data collection was coordinated with remote sensing observations and model simulations, suggesting a high level of experimental integration.

Limitations

• Critical metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all platforms, hindering detailed assessment.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between sources (2010-10-20 on NASA Earthdata vs. 2026-03-13 on Data.gov), creating uncertainty about data currency and management.
• The dataset's temporal coverage is limited to a two-month campaign in 2010, which may not capture seasonal or interannual variability.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected by a Two-Dimensional Video Disdrometer (2DVD) during the coordinated Light Precipitation Evaluation Experiment (LPVEx) field campaign.

Time Range

September 2010 to October 2010

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:19:06.759500

Geography

Gulf of Finland