SMEX02 Hourly Precipitation Data from Iowa Rain Gauge Network

Walnut Creek, Iowa, USA, is the location for this dataset containing hourly precipitation measurements from 20 rain gauge stations. The data was collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Soil Moisture Experiment 2002 (SMEX02). It provides detailed temporal records for studying rainfall patterns and soil moisture interactions during the experiment period.

Use Cases

• Analyzing hourly rainfall variability across 20 gauge locations to understand spatial precipitation patterns.
• Correlating precipitation time-series data with soil moisture measurements from the SMEX02 campaign.
• Validating hydrological or land surface models that require high-temporal-resolution rainfall inputs for a specific agricultural region.

Strengths

• Data originates from a controlled scientific field experiment (SMEX02) conducted by NASA.
• Provides measurements from a network of 20 distinct geographic points, allowing for spatial analysis.
• Records precipitation at an hourly temporal resolution, suitable for detailed process studies.

Limitations

• The exact column names, row count, and file size are not documented in the provided sources.
• There is a significant conflict regarding the last update date: one source lists 2002-08-19, while another lists 2026-03-12, suggesting possible metadata errors.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by a network of 20 rain gauge stations deployed for the Soil Moisture Experiment 2002 (SMEX02).

Time Range

2002

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:37:47.604497

Geography

Walnut Creek, Iowa, USA