TROPICS03: Tropical Cyclone Intensity Estimates from CubeSat Microwave Data

TROPICS03 L2B Tropical Cyclone Intensity Estimate (TCIE) data provides validated estimates of Minimum Sea Level Pressure (MSLP) and Maximum Sustained Winds (MSW) for tropical cyclones. The algorithm uses brightness temperature perturbations from specific microwave channels on a constellation of five CubeSats, combined with ancillary best-track and eye size data. This dataset supports high-temporal-resolution, all-weather science investigations of storm structure and intensity.

Use Cases

• Estimating tropical cyclone minimum sea level pressure based on microwave brightness temperature perturbations.
• Analyzing maximum sustained wind trends using data from the TROPICS Millimeter-wave Sounder (TMS).
• Studying storm structure evolution with high-temporal-resolution observations from a five-satellite constellation.
• Validating intensity forecast models with independent satellite-derived estimates.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a validated algorithm (TCIE) developed at the University of Wisconsin/CIMSS.
• Observations come from a dedicated constellation of five identical CubeSats, enabling high temporal resolution.
• The dataset provides estimates for two primary tropical cyclone variables: MSLP and MSW.

Limitations

• Column names and specific data structure are not provided in the source metadata.
• The dataset size, row count, and exact spatial coverage are unspecified.
• License information is inconsistently reported as 'other-license-specified' or 'None' across platforms.

Provenance

Source

NASA GES DISC, from the TROPICS satellite constellation.

Collection Method

Algorithm (TCIE) processing of native microwave brightness temperatures from the TROPICS Millimeter-wave Sounder.

Time Range

Data release starts in June 2023 for the constellation CubeSats, and August 2021 for the TROPICS-01/Pathfinder.

Freshness

Last updated metadata date is 2026-04-09 on two platforms.

Geography

Likely covers tropical cyclone basins globally, but explicit spatial coverage is not stated.