GPM 2DVD OLYMPEX: Ground Validation of Satellite Precipitation

Four ground sites on the Olympic Peninsula collected detailed measurements of individual raindrops and snowflakes to validate the GPM Core Observatory satellite. The Two-Dimensional Video Disdrometer (2DVD) captured hydrometeor size distribution, terminal fall speed, and total concentration from October 2015 through February 2016. This dataset provides the physical ground truth for calibrating remote satellite precipitation estimates during a major field campaign.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-based precipitation estimates using ground-measured hydrometeor size distributions.
• Analyzing the microphysical properties (size, fall speed) of winter precipitation in a mountainous coastal region.
• Improving numerical weather and climate model parameterizations for precipitation processes.
• Studying the spatial variability of precipitation across four instrumented sites during a field campaign.

Strengths

• Data collected from four distinct sites, allowing for spatial analysis.
• Covers a continuous time range of at least three months during a focused NASA field campaign.
• Provides direct, high-resolution measurements of individual hydrometeors for satellite validation.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row counts are unspecified, limiting immediate analysis.
• Metadata conflicts: last update dates differ significantly between platforms (2016 vs. 2026).
• Data availability dates vary per site, requiring careful checking of individual file ranges.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by Two-Dimensional Video Disdrometer (2DVD) instruments during the OLYMPEX field campaign.

Time Range

October 31, 2015 to February 2016

Freshness

2026-04-10 02:32:26.189856

Geography

Olympic Peninsula, Pacific Northwest, United States