NAMMA Airborne Precipitation Radar Data from Cape Verde Campaign

Radar measurements from the NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) campaign, collected in August-September 2006. The dataset contains dual-frequency, dual-polarization radar reflectivity and Doppler velocity observations from the Second Generation Airborne Precipitation Radar (APR-2) instrument. This mission was based in the Cape Verde Islands to study African Easterly Waves and Mesoscale Convective Systems over western Africa.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the structure and evolution of African Easterly Waves (AEWs) using Ku- and Ka-band radar reflectivity.
• Studying the microphysical properties of Mesoscale Convective Systems via dual-polarization radar data.
• Validating satellite precipitation estimates over western Africa with airborne radar observations.
• Investigating regional water and energy budgets through measured precipitation rates and Doppler velocity.

Strengths

• Data originates from a NASA-sponsored field campaign (NAMMA), ensuring a controlled collection methodology.
• Provides dual-frequency (14 GHz and 35 GHz) and dual-polarization measurements, offering detailed cloud and precipitation characterization.
• Campaign was specifically designed to study key atmospheric phenomena (AEWs and MCSs) over a data-sparse region.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and a complete column schema are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date (2006-09-12 vs. 2026-03 12), suggesting potential metadata inconsistencies.

Provenance

Source

NASA Science Mission Directorate, collected by the Global Hydrology Resource Center Distributed Active Archive Center (GHRC DAAC).

Collection Method

Collected by the Second Generation Airborne Precipitation Radar (APR-2) instrument mounted on an aircraft during the NAMMA campaign.

Time Range

August - September 2006

Freshness

2026-03-12 23:32:07.029431

Geography

Cape Verde Islands and continental western Africa.