NAMMA Cape Verde Radiosonde Atmospheric Soundings

August 2006 data from radiosonde launches during NASA's African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) mission based in Cape Verde. Sippican MarkIIa DGPS radiosondes measured vertical profiles of pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and direction. The dataset supports analysis of African Easterly Waves and Mesoscale Convective Systems.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity for weather model validation.
• Studying wind speed and direction at different altitudes to characterize African Easterly Waves (AEWs).
• Investigating the structure of Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) over continental western Africa.
• Examining Skew-T, trajectory, and time series plots for thermodynamic analysis of the atmosphere.

Strengths

• Data originates from a focused NASA mission (NAMMA) with a clear scientific objective.
• Provides vertical atmospheric profiles from dedicated radiosonde launches using Sippican MarkIIa DGPS units.
• Cross-platform presence on NASA Earthdata and Data.gov indicates recognized importance and curation.

Limitations

• Specific row count, file size, and complete column list are unknown across all sources.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (2006-09-14 and 2026-03-12) create uncertainty about data currency.

Provenance

Source

NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GHRC_DAAC).

Collection Method

Collected via Sippican MarkIIa DGPS radiosondes launched from Cape Verde Islands.

Time Range

August 2006

Freshness

2026-03-12 23:32:16.165863

Geography

Cape Verde Islands, 350 miles off the coast of Senegal, West Africa.