UAlbany Parsivel Snowstorm Microphysics Data 2020-2023

Parsivel2 disdrometer measurements capture the microphysics of Atlantic Coast snowstorms, including particle size distribution, fall speed, radar reflectivity, and precipitation rate. This dataset supports the three-year IMPACTS field campaign from 2020 to 2023, aimed at improving snowband prediction. Data is provided in netCDF-4 format by the GHRC DAAC.

Use Cases

• Analyzing snow particle size distribution and fall velocity to understand microphysical growth mechanisms.
• Correlating disdrometer-derived radar reflectivity with remote sensing observations for calibration.
• Calculating precipitation rates during specific snowband events to study storm organization.
• Investigating temporal evolution of hydrometeor characteristics across multiple winter seasons.

Strengths

• Data spans three consecutive winter seasons from January 2020 to February 2023, providing multi-year context.
• Includes four key microphysical and derived variables: particle size distribution, fall speed, radar reflectivity, and precipitation rate.
• Collected as part of a dedicated NASA field campaign (IMPACTS) with clear scientific objectives.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and complete column list are not specified on any platform.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' on some platforms and 'None' on others, requiring user verification.

Provenance

Source

GHRC DAAC (Global Hydrology Resource Center Distributed Active Archive Center).

Collection Method

Field measurements collected by a Parsivel2 laser disdrometer instrument.

Time Range

30 January 2020 through 28 February 2023.

Freshness

2026-03-12 20:44:25.838792

Geography

U.S. Atlantic Coast, specific to snowstorms studied during the IMPACTS campaign.