NAMMA NPOL Radar Data: West African Monsoon Campaign 2006

NPOL radar data captures S-band polarimetric and Doppler weather observations from the 2006 NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses campaign. The dataset includes continuous volume scans every 15 minutes from August 19 to September 30, 2006, at a site in Kawsara, Senegal. It was collected to study the structure of African Easterly Waves and Mesoscale Convective Systems and their impacts on regional water and energy budgets.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the evolution of African Easterly Waves using time-series reflectivity and velocity scans.
• Studying the 3D structure of Mesoscale Convective Systems via RHI and CAPPI products.
• Developing or validating polarimetric radar algorithms for rainfall estimation and hydrometeor classification.
• Investigating the diurnal cycle of convection over West Africa using the continuous 15-minute scan cycle.
• Correlating radar-derived storm characteristics with regional water and energy budget models.

Strengths

• Provides continuous operational coverage with a full volume scan generated every 15 minutes.
• Includes polarimetric products and high-resolution scans at 150 km range for detailed storm analysis.
• Data collection was focused during a dedicated 6-week field campaign (NAMMA) for studying a specific meteorological phenomenon.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all sources.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one listing 2006-09-30 and another listing a future date of 2026-03-12.
• Data is from a single campaign in 2006, limiting temporal applicability to modern climate studies.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Wallops Flight Facility research team.

Collection Method

Collected by a fully transportable, self-contained S-band polarimetric Doppler research radar operating nearly continuously.

Time Range

2006-08-19 to 2006-09-30

Freshness

2006-09-30 09:00:53

Geography

Kawsara, Senegal; supporting a mission based in the Cape Verde Islands.