TCSP Cloud Radar System Reflectivity and Doppler Velocity Profiles

NASA's TCSP Cloud Radar System (CRS) dataset contains high-resolution vertical profiles of radar reflectivity and Doppler velocity collected from the ER-2 high-altitude aircraft. These measurements were taken during the Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes mission to study the formation and intensification of tropical storms and hurricanes. The dataset is managed by the GHRC DAAC.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical cloud structure using nadir reflectivity profiles.
• Studying in-cloud air motion and particle fall speeds via Doppler velocity measurements.
• Investigating cyclogenesis by correlating radar data with atmospheric conditions like temperature and humidity.
• Validating satellite-based remote sensing retrievals of cloud properties.

Strengths

• Provides high-resolution vertical profiles from a 94 GHz W-band radar.
• Data is part of a focused NASA mission (TCSP) specifically targeting tropical cyclogenesis.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and complete column lists are unavailable across all sources.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, reporting both 2005-07-27 and 2026-03-12.

Provenance

Source

GHRC_DAAC

Collection Method

Collected autonomously by the Cloud Radar System (CRS) instrument aboard the NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft.

Time Range

During the Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes (TCSP) mission.

Freshness

2026-03-12 21:05:04.573618

Geography

Flight tracks over tropical regions studied by the TCSP mission.