SKYLER: Polarimetric Radar Observations of Atlantic Coast Snowstorms

SKYLER, an X-band phased array radar, captured detailed polarimetric data on ice and snow processes during the three-year IMPACTS field campaign. Its observations from January 17, 2022, to February 28, 2023, include nine key variables such as reflectivity and differential phase, targeting the mechanisms of snowband formation over the U.S. Atlantic Coast. This dataset provides high-resolution microphysical insights to improve snowfall remote sensing and modeling.

Use Cases

• Analyzing snowband organization and evolution based on polarimetric radar reflectivity and velocity fields.
• Examining ice particle growth mechanisms using differential reflectivity and co-polarized correlation coefficient.
• Improving snowfall estimation algorithms with specific differential phase and linear depolarization ratio data.
• Validating and improving numerical weather prediction models of snowstorms with detailed microphysical observations.

Strengths

• Contains nine specific polarimetric radar variables, including differential phase and correlation coefficient, for detailed microphysical analysis.
• Data covers a focused 13-month period (Jan 2022 - Feb 2023) during a major, three-year field campaign (IMPACTS).
• Cross-platform presence on NASA and Data.gov signals importance and likely curation.

Limitations

• Column names and dataset size (row count, file size) are not provided in any source.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.
• Last updated metadata conflicts between sources (2026 vs. 2023), creating uncertainty about freshness.

Provenance

Source

Stony Brook University (SBU) X-band Phased Array Radar (SKYLER), collected for the NASA-led IMPACTS field campaign.

Collection Method

Polarimetric radar observations collected during the Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) campaign.

Time Range

January 17, 2022, through February 28, 2023 (IMPACTS campaign spanned 2020-2023).

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:38:14.123615

Geography

U.S. Atlantic Coast, targeting snowstorms in that region.