GRIP Radiosonde Data for Hurricane Genesis Research

August 14 to September 24, 2010, this dataset contains high-resolution vertical profile measurements from weather balloons launched during the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) field campaign. It was collected by NASA to study the formation and intensification of tropical storms and hurricanes. Soundings were taken from Barbados and Cape Verde, capturing atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind data.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of atmospheric pressure and temperature to study thermodynamic conditions preceding hurricane formation.
• Investigating humidity and wind speed/direction profiles to understand moisture and shear influences on storm development.
• Comparing ascent data from two distinct tropical locations (Barbados and Cape Verde) to assess regional environmental differences.
• Studying high-frequency (2-4 second) time-series data from balloon ascents to capture detailed atmospheric structure.

Strengths

• Provides high-temporal-resolution profiles with a 2-second sample rate for Cape Verde and 4-second for Barbados data.
• Covers a focused 42-day campaign during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, targeting specific storm genesis events.
• Includes measurements up to an altitude of approximately 40 km, with sondes typically reaching at least 100 millibars.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData signals its importance and curation for the research community.

Limitations

• Exact row count and dataset size are not specified on any platform, limiting precise assessment of data volume.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: Data.gov lists 2026-03 13, while NASA EarthData lists 2010-09-24.
• Column names are not provided, requiring users to infer data structure from the descriptive metadata.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Collection Method

Data retrieved from GRAWMET GS-E ground stations after launches of DFM-06 and DFM-97 radiosondes on weather balloons.

Time Range

2010-08-14 to 2010-09-24

Freshness

2026-03-13 01:37:57.220313 (Data.gov), though this conflicts with the NASA EarthData date and may be a metadata error.

Geography

Launch sites at Barbados and Cape Verde.