NAMMA Cloud Microphysics Data from the 2006 African Monsoon Campaign

Particle size distributions from 0.55 to 100 microns were measured by the Clouds, Aerosol and Precipitation Spectrometer and the Precipitation Imaging Probe. This dataset contains images and ASCII tables collected during the NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses field campaign from August 19 to September 12, 2006. The mission, based in the Cape Verde Islands, aimed to characterize African Easterly Waves and Mesoscale Convective Systems over western Africa.

Use Cases

• Analyzing hydrometeor and aerosol particle size distributions within 0.55-100 micron range.
• Studying the microphysical properties of clouds and precipitation associated with African Easterly Waves.
• Validating satellite retrievals or climate models with in-situ aircraft measurements of particle spectra.
• Investigating the relationship between Mesoscale Convective Systems and regional water budgets using time-series data.

Strengths

• Data originates from a focused NASA field campaign (NAMMA) with a clear scientific mission.
• Provides high-resolution particle measurements from two specialized instruments (CAPS and PIP).
• Covers a specific, well-defined time period from August 19 to September 12, 2006.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all platforms.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' on Data.gov, requiring further investigation for reuse.
• Platforms disagree on the last updated date, with Data.gov showing a future date (2026-03-12) and NASA Earthdata showing the collection end date (2006-09-12).

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science Mission Directorate.

Collection Method

Collected via aircraft-mounted Clouds, Aerosol and Precipitation Spectrometer (CAPS) and Precipitation Imaging Probe (PIP) instruments.

Time Range

2006-08-19 to 2006-09-12

Freshness

2006-09-12 19:47:00

Geography

Cape Verde Islands and continental western Africa, specifically regions affected by African Easterly Waves.