The Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) was a NASA-led campaign that primarily focused on the formation and evolution of snow bands in the eastern United States. IMPACTS consisted of three deployments during the 2020,2022 and 2023 winter seasons. NASA’s ER-2, equipped with numerous remote sensing instruments, such as the ER-2 X-band Doppler Radar (EXRAD) and the Conical Scanning Microwave Imaging Radiometer (CoSMIR), along with NASA’s P-3 aircraft, equipped with in situ sensors, such as the Cloud-Aerosol Precipitation Scatterometer (CAPS) and Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) dropsondes, flew routes to sample frontal systems and their associated snow bands throughout the Eastern and Midwestern United States. Aircraft measurements were supplemented with ground instrumentation, such as rawinsondes launched by NOAA and several universities, rain gauge systems, and the Micro Rain Radar (MRR). IMPACTS was one of NASA’s EVS-3 projects.
The Two-Dimensional Video Disdrometer (2DVD) is a stationary ground-based optical disdrometer. It is equipped with two line-scan cameras that provide continuous measurements of various precipitation properties such as droplet shape, fall velocity, and size distribution. The 2DVD is capable of accurate measurements for all precipitation particles with a diameter > 0.2 mm, making it well-suited for various precipitation studies.
The Micro Rain Radar (MRR) is a ground-based, vertically pointing, continuous wave K-band (24.23 GHz) radar that measures various parameters of precipitation such as liquid water content and rain rate from near ground level to the lower troposphere. The backscatter received by the MRR’s antenna can measure precipitation size distributions in the range of 0.25 mm to 4.53 mm, as well as calculate the frequency shift of falling precipitation to be used to calculate its velocity. Additional applications of the MRR include locating bright bands, nowcasting precipitation, and capturing chemical transport during precipitation events.
The Precipitation and Imaging Probe (PIP) is an airborne optical spectrometer manufactured by Droplet Measurement Technologies. It measures the size and shape of particles in the size range of 100-6200 μm. It provides 2-dimensional imagery with a pixel resolution of 100 μm. PIP operates at the 660 nm wavelength and has a typical sampling frequency of 1 second. It has a sample area of 260 mm x 6.2 mm and can operate at airspeeds of 10-200 meters per second.
Ceilometers are ground-based, remote-sensing sensors that provide measurements of cloud ceilings and vertical visibility. They use either a laser beam or another light source to detect backscatter of clouds, precipitation, and aerosols. Ceilometers can provide detailed and accurate measurements in all types of weather conditions and have low operating costs. Ceilometers are typically used in boundary layer and cloud research applications.
The microwave radiometers (MWRs) are ground-based radiometers manufactured by Radiometrics Corporation and operated by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Research Facility. MWR measures brightness temperature at 23.8 and 31.4 GHz to derive column-integrated amounts of water vapor and liquid water in the atmosphere. MWR has a field of view (FOV) from about 5.9 to 4.5 degrees depending on the channel and has a typical time resolution of 20 s for sky-view observations.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
The Autonomous Parsivel Unit (APU) is an in situ ground-based optical disdrometer. APU measures the size and fall velocity of hydrometeors with a size range of 0-25mm and fall velocities between 0-20 m/s. From these measurements, the drop size distribution, type, intensity, and amount of precipitation can be determined. APU operates in the 650-780 nm wavelength range and has a typical sampling frequency of 10 s.
Pluvio is a ground-based weighing precipitation gauge manufactured by OTT HydroMet. It measures the precipitation amount and rate by determining its weight using a high-capacity collection bucket. Pluvio can be used to measure rain, snow, sleet, hail, and mixed precipitation types. It has a standard sampling interval of 1 minute.
ROGER is a ground-based W-band frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) profiling radar operating at Stony Brook – Brookhaven Radar Observatory (SBRO). It was originally developed by ProSensing as an airborne radar system before being converted for ground-based operations. It collects radar measurements at an operating frequency of 94.8 GHz. ROGER has a range resolution of 5-150 m and can detect targets up to 20 km.
The NASA S-band Dual Polarimetric Radar (NPOL) is a transportable, ground-based scanning dual polarimetric Doppler radar. As an active remote sensor, NPOL detects returned electromagnetic radiation to identify radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity, rainfall rate, particle size distribution, water contents, and precipitation type. Under typical operating conditions, NPOL has a beamwidth of 0.95° and a 150 km maximum range. NPOL is operationally equivalent to Doppler radars employed by the U.S. National Weather Service’s Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) network, but NPOL has the added advantage of being fully deployable.
If instrument model information is not available, can use this instrument entry for temperature, pressues, wind speed, wind direction, humidity
Earth Science > >
The Dual-frequency Dual-polarized Doppler Radar (D3R) is a mobile Ku-/Ka-band radar that was developed for NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission Ground Validation (GV) program. D3R is an active remote, ground-based sensor that measures radar backscatter to provide reflectivity, Doppler velocity, differential reflectivity, correlation coefficient, and other radar observations. These measurements can be used to derive droplet size distribution and determine hydrometer type. D3R has a beam width of around 0.9 degrees, a maximum range of 30 km, and a gate spacing of 150 m. D3R operates at similar wavelengths as the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) on the GPM Core satellite and can be used for validation of DPR observations.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds
This data will be added in future versions.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Pressure
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Precipitation
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Winds
The Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) is a network of high-resolution, S-band radars operated by the National Weather Service (NWS), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the United States Air Force. NEXRAD measures the magnitude of the returned energy to provide reflectivity, velocity, and spectrum width observations, which can be processed to create mosaic maps of precipitation. NEXRAD radars typically operate with a 0.9 degree beamwidth, 0.25-1 km spatial resolution, and 230-460 km maximum range. There are currently over 160 NEXRAD radars operating in the United States and select overseas locations.
The Micro Rain Radar (MRR) is a ground-based, vertically pointing, continuous wave K-band (24.23 GHz) radar that measures various parameters of precipitation such as liquid water content and rain rate from near ground level to the lower troposphere. The backscatter received by the MRR’s antenna can measure precipitation size distributions in the range of 0.25 mm to 4.53 mm, as well as calculate the frequency shift of falling precipitation to be used to calculate its velocity. Additional applications of the MRR include locating bright bands, nowcasting precipitation, and capturing chemical transport during precipitation events.
Ceilometers are ground-based, remote-sensing sensors that provide measurements of cloud ceilings and vertical visibility. They use either a laser beam or another light source to detect backscatter of clouds, precipitation, and aerosols. Ceilometers can provide detailed and accurate measurements in all types of weather conditions and have low operating costs. Ceilometers are typically used in boundary layer and cloud research applications.
The Autonomous Parsivel Unit (APU) is an in situ ground-based optical disdrometer. APU measures the size and fall velocity of hydrometeors with a size range of 0-25mm and fall velocities between 0-20 m/s. From these measurements, the drop size distribution, type, intensity, and amount of precipitation can be determined. APU operates in the 650-780 nm wavelength range and has a typical sampling frequency of 10 s.
The Nezorov Probe is an in situ airborne hot-wire probe that measures the liquid water content (LWC) and total water content (TWC) of clouds. It determines LWC and WC by detecting heat loss of its two sensors by evaporation of cloud water and by convective heat losses. At a constant temperature of 90 degrees Celsius, it can measure LWC and TWC in the range of 0.005-3 grams per cubic meter. The Nevzorov Probe provides measurements at 1-second intervals with an accuracy of 10%.
The Rosemount Icing Detector (RICE) is an in situ airborne probe manufactured by Rosemount Inc. It is a magnetostrictive oscillation probe that detects changes in the frequency of oscillation due to ice buildup on the sensing cylinder. These changes in frequency can be related to the rate of ice accretion, which can be used to derive liquid water content. RICE has a typical sampling rate of 1 second.
The Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP) is an in situ cloud probe manufactured by Droplet Measurement Technologies. It measures the particle size distribution and concentration for cloud particles in the 2-50 μm size range. CDP detects pulses of light scattered from a laser (658 nm) to count and size individual cloud droplets. CDP has a typical measurement rate of 1 Hz and can detect concentrations of up to 2000 particles per cubic centimeter.
The 2D-Stereo Particle Probe (2D-S) is an in situ airborne optical imaging probe developed by SPEC Inc. The 2D-S uses two diode laser beams to produce stereo cloud particle images through linear array shadowing. Through the imagery, cloud particle size distribution, particle number concentration, and ice/liquid water content can be determined. It has a resolution of 10 µm and can measure hydrometeors in the 25-1280 µm range.
The Hawkeye Combination Cloud Particle Probe is a combination of four cloud probes. The first probe is the Fast Cloud Droplet Probe (FCDP) which records individual particle statistics and digitizes waveforms. The second and third probes are 10-µm channel and 50-µm channel 2D-S probes. The fourth probe is a 400 frame per second Cloud Particle Imager (CPI). The Hawkeye probe was initially developed to fly on the NASA Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Droplet Distribution
This data will be added in future versions
Earth Science > >
The Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) is an airborne system that utilizes dropsondes and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to collect in situ profiles of atmospheric state parameters. It provides profile measurements of temperature, pressure, and humidity at a sampling frequency of 0.5 s and measurements of atmospheric winds at a frequency of 0.25 s. AVAPS has a vertical resolution of about 10 m and can allow for dropsonde launches every 20 s. AVAPS was developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) for the NASA Global Hawk, but it can be deployed on other aircraft such as the DC-8 and P-3.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
The Cloud Aerosol and Precipitation Spectrometer (CAPS) is an in situ airborne spectrometer manufactured by Droplet Measurement Technologies. It combines the Cloud Imaging Probe (CIP), the Cloud and Aerosol Spectrometer (CAS), and the Hotwire Liquid Water Content (LWC) Sensor into one instrument. CAPS measures the size distribution of aerosol, cloud, and liquid droplets for particles between the sizes of 50-1600 μm at a time resolution of 1 Hz. It can also record images of cloud particles and provide measurements of temperature, pressure, and LWC.
The High Volume Precipitation Spectrometer 3 (HVPS-3) is an in situ airborne particle imager manufactured by SPEC Inc. It uses a 128-photodiode array to provide imagery of precipitation particles. The imagery can be used to determine the shape, size, and concentration of the particles. HVPS-3 has a pixel resolution of 150 μm and a maximum field of view of 1.92 cm.
If instrument model information is not available, can use this instrument entry for temperature, pressues, wind speed, wind direction, humidity
Earth Science > >
The King Probe is an airborne cloud probe developed by Warren King (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and manufactured by Particle Measuring Systems (PMS) and Droplet Measurement Technologies (DMT). The King Probe provides measurements of cloud liquid water content (LWC) by measuring the heat released when water droplets are vaporized. The King Probe operates at a constant temperature (~100 C) and has a data output rate of 1 to 10 Hz. It is typically used in cloud microphysics and aircraft icing studies.
The Lightning Instrument Package (LIP) is an in situ airborne electric field detection system. LIP uses eight electric field mills and a conductivity probe to provide measurements of the three-dimensional components of the electric field of surrounding thunderstorms. LIP has a sampling frequency of 0.02 seconds and has an accuracy of 2.5%.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Electricity > Electric Field
The Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) is an airborne lidar system designed specifically to provide multi-wavelength measurements of cirrus clouds, sub-visual cirrus clouds, and aerosols. It measures lidar backscatter across three wavelengths: 355 nm, 532 nm, and 1064 nm. These measurements can be used to derive cloud optical depth, particle size distribution, extinction profiles, aerosol layers, and other properties. CPL has a vertical resolution of 30 m and a typical horizontal resolution of 200 m.
The ER-2 X-Band Doppler Radar (EXRAD) is a dual-beam, X-band radar that operates on NASA’s ER-2 aircraft. It was originally designed to fly on the Global Hawk but instead was developed for ER-2 to replace the ER-2 Doppler Radar (EDOP). EXRAD measures backscatter to determine radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity, and linear depolarization ratio. These measurements can be used to derive details about the phase, orientation, size, and other properties of precipitation particles. EXRAD operates at the 9.6 GHz frequency and has a range resolution of 37.5 to 300 meters. It has a swath width of 28 km at an altitude of 20 km in scanning mode and has a typical sampling frequency of 0.25 seconds.
The High-Altitude Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (HIWRAP) is an airborne Ka- and Ku-band, dual-beam Doppler radar system. It measures radar reflectivity and 3-D wind fields within clouds and precipitation making it ideal for research missions into hurricanes and severe storms. It was designed to operate at higher altitudes (~ 20 km) than previous airborne wind profilers allowing for a better vertical profile of the troposphere. HIWRAP has a range resolution of 150 m and operates at the following frequencies: 13.5 GHz, 13.9 GHz, 33.7 GHz, and 35.6 GHz.
The Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) is an airborne passive microwave radiometer. AMPR provides calibrated brightness temperature, which can be used to derive cloud and precipitation properties. It operates across four microwave channels: 10.7, 19.35, 37.1, and 85.5 GHz. These frequencies are sensitive to precipitation, thus making AMPR well-suited for rain event studies.
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
The Cloud Radar System (CRS) is an airborne W-band polarimetric Doppler radar. CRS provides radar observations of clouds and precipitation from the surface up to the lower stratosphere. It has an operating frequency of 94 GHz and has a 150m range resolution. CRS has a typical vertical resolution of 100m and a gate spacing of 37.5m.
The Conical Scanning Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer (CoSMIR) is an airborne imaging radiometer that was developed to validate the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) instrument. CoSMIR operates across 9 spectral channels in the 50-183 GHz range to measure microwave brightness temperature. CoSMIR has a surface footprint resolution of 1.4 km x 1.4 km at an altitude of 20 km at nadir. It can perform both conical and cross-tracking scanning.
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
Radiosondes are a balloon-borne instrument package used to collect profile measurements of pressure, temperature, humidity, and winds. These sensors are connected to a radio transmitter that sends the measurements to a ground receiver typically operating in the 400-406 MHz range. They typically provide measurements at 1-6 seconds, depending on the type and manufacturer of the radiosonde. Radiosondes are used for weather forecasting, ground truth satellite data, atmospheric research, and input for weather prediction models.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles
The Rosemount Icing Detector (RICE) is an in situ airborne probe manufactured by Rosemount Inc. It is a magnetostrictive oscillation probe that detects changes in the frequency of oscillation due to ice buildup on the sensing cylinder. These changes in frequency can be related to the rate of ice accretion, which can be used to derive liquid water content. RICE has a typical sampling rate of 1 second.
The Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP) is an in situ cloud probe manufactured by Droplet Measurement Technologies. It measures the particle size distribution and concentration for cloud particles in the 2-50 μm size range. CDP detects pulses of light scattered from a laser (658 nm) to count and size individual cloud droplets. CDP has a typical measurement rate of 1 Hz and can detect concentrations of up to 2000 particles per cubic centimeter.
The 2D-Stereo Particle Probe (2D-S) is an in situ airborne optical imaging probe developed by SPEC Inc. The 2D-S uses two diode laser beams to produce stereo cloud particle images through linear array shadowing. Through the imagery, cloud particle size distribution, particle number concentration, and ice/liquid water content can be determined. It has a resolution of 10 µm and can measure hydrometeors in the 25-1280 µm range.
The High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) is an active remote, airborne lidar developed by NASA Langley Research Center. HALO operates across 4 wavelengths (1645, 1064, 935, 532 nm) and uses a combination of Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) and High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) methods to measure lidar backscatter and depolarization ratio. It provides vertical profiles of aerosol and cloud optical properties, atmospheric water vapor, and methane at a data rate of 2 Hz. HALO has a nominal spatial resolution of 12 km horizontally and 315 m vertically at an altitude of 10 km.
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Lidar > Lidar Depolarization Ratio
The Hawkeye Combination Cloud Particle Probe is a combination of four cloud probes. The first probe is the Fast Cloud Droplet Probe (FCDP) which records individual particle statistics and digitizes waveforms. The second and third probes are 10-µm channel and 50-µm channel 2D-S probes. The fourth probe is a 400 frame per second Cloud Particle Imager (CPI). The Hawkeye probe was initially developed to fly on the NASA Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
The Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) is an airborne system that utilizes dropsondes and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to collect in situ profiles of atmospheric state parameters. It provides profile measurements of temperature, pressure, and humidity at a sampling frequency of 0.5 s and measurements of atmospheric winds at a frequency of 0.25 s. AVAPS has a vertical resolution of about 10 m and can allow for dropsonde launches every 20 s. AVAPS was developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) for the NASA Global Hawk, but it can be deployed on other aircraft such as the DC-8 and P-3.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
The High Volume Precipitation Spectrometer 3 (HVPS-3) is an in situ airborne particle imager manufactured by SPEC Inc. It uses a 128-photodiode array to provide imagery of precipitation particles. The imagery can be used to determine the shape, size, and concentration of the particles. HVPS-3 has a pixel resolution of 150 μm and a maximum field of view of 1.92 cm.
The King Probe is an airborne cloud probe developed by Warren King (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and manufactured by Particle Measuring Systems (PMS) and Droplet Measurement Technologies (DMT). The King Probe provides measurements of cloud liquid water content (LWC) by measuring the heat released when water droplets are vaporized. The King Probe operates at a constant temperature (~100 C) and has a data output rate of 1 to 10 Hz. It is typically used in cloud microphysics and aircraft icing studies.
The Two-Dimensional Video Disdrometer (2DVD) is a stationary ground-based optical disdrometer. It is equipped with two line-scan cameras that provide continuous measurements of various precipitation properties such as droplet shape, fall velocity, and size distribution. The 2DVD is capable of accurate measurements for all precipitation particles with a diameter > 0.2 mm, making it well-suited for various precipitation studies.
The Micro Rain Radar (MRR) is a ground-based, vertically pointing, continuous wave K-band (24.23 GHz) radar that measures various parameters of precipitation such as liquid water content and rain rate from near ground level to the lower troposphere. The backscatter received by the MRR’s antenna can measure precipitation size distributions in the range of 0.25 mm to 4.53 mm, as well as calculate the frequency shift of falling precipitation to be used to calculate its velocity. Additional applications of the MRR include locating bright bands, nowcasting precipitation, and capturing chemical transport during precipitation events.
The Precipitation and Imaging Probe (PIP) is an airborne optical spectrometer manufactured by Droplet Measurement Technologies. It measures the size and shape of particles in the size range of 100-6200 μm. It provides 2-dimensional imagery with a pixel resolution of 100 μm. PIP operates at the 660 nm wavelength and has a typical sampling frequency of 1 second. It has a sample area of 260 mm x 6.2 mm and can operate at airspeeds of 10-200 meters per second.
Ceilometers are ground-based, remote-sensing sensors that provide measurements of cloud ceilings and vertical visibility. They use either a laser beam or another light source to detect backscatter of clouds, precipitation, and aerosols. Ceilometers can provide detailed and accurate measurements in all types of weather conditions and have low operating costs. Ceilometers are typically used in boundary layer and cloud research applications.
The Autonomous Parsivel Unit (APU) is an in situ ground-based optical disdrometer. APU measures the size and fall velocity of hydrometeors with a size range of 0-25mm and fall velocities between 0-20 m/s. From these measurements, the drop size distribution, type, intensity, and amount of precipitation can be determined. APU operates in the 650-780 nm wavelength range and has a typical sampling frequency of 10 s.
Pluvio is a ground-based weighing precipitation gauge manufactured by OTT HydroMet. It measures the precipitation amount and rate by determining its weight using a high-capacity collection bucket. Pluvio can be used to measure rain, snow, sleet, hail, and mixed precipitation types. It has a standard sampling interval of 1 minute.
The NASA S-band Dual Polarimetric Radar (NPOL) is a transportable, ground-based scanning dual polarimetric Doppler radar. As an active remote sensor, NPOL detects returned electromagnetic radiation to identify radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity, rainfall rate, particle size distribution, water contents, and precipitation type. Under typical operating conditions, NPOL has a beamwidth of 0.95° and a 150 km maximum range. NPOL is operationally equivalent to Doppler radars employed by the U.S. National Weather Service’s Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) network, but NPOL has the added advantage of being fully deployable.
The Lightning Instrument Package (LIP) is an in situ airborne electric field detection system. LIP uses eight electric field mills and a conductivity probe to provide measurements of the three-dimensional components of the electric field of surrounding thunderstorms. LIP has a sampling frequency of 0.02 seconds and has an accuracy of 2.5%.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Electricity > Electric Field
The Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) is an airborne lidar system designed specifically to provide multi-wavelength measurements of cirrus clouds, sub-visual cirrus clouds, and aerosols. It measures lidar backscatter across three wavelengths: 355 nm, 532 nm, and 1064 nm. These measurements can be used to derive cloud optical depth, particle size distribution, extinction profiles, aerosol layers, and other properties. CPL has a vertical resolution of 30 m and a typical horizontal resolution of 200 m.
The ER-2 X-Band Doppler Radar (EXRAD) is a dual-beam, X-band radar that operates on NASA’s ER-2 aircraft. It was originally designed to fly on the Global Hawk but instead was developed for ER-2 to replace the ER-2 Doppler Radar (EDOP). EXRAD measures backscatter to determine radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity, and linear depolarization ratio. These measurements can be used to derive details about the phase, orientation, size, and other properties of precipitation particles. EXRAD operates at the 9.6 GHz frequency and has a range resolution of 37.5 to 300 meters. It has a swath width of 28 km at an altitude of 20 km in scanning mode and has a typical sampling frequency of 0.25 seconds.
The High-Altitude Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (HIWRAP) is an airborne Ka- and Ku-band, dual-beam Doppler radar system. It measures radar reflectivity and 3-D wind fields within clouds and precipitation making it ideal for research missions into hurricanes and severe storms. It was designed to operate at higher altitudes (~ 20 km) than previous airborne wind profilers allowing for a better vertical profile of the troposphere. HIWRAP has a range resolution of 150 m and operates at the following frequencies: 13.5 GHz, 13.9 GHz, 33.7 GHz, and 35.6 GHz.
The Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) is an airborne passive microwave radiometer. AMPR provides calibrated brightness temperature, which can be used to derive cloud and precipitation properties. It operates across four microwave channels: 10.7, 19.35, 37.1, and 85.5 GHz. These frequencies are sensitive to precipitation, thus making AMPR well-suited for rain event studies.
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
The Cloud Radar System (CRS) is an airborne W-band polarimetric Doppler radar. CRS provides radar observations of clouds and precipitation from the surface up to the lower stratosphere. It has an operating frequency of 94 GHz and has a 150m range resolution. CRS has a typical vertical resolution of 100m and a gate spacing of 37.5m.
The Conical Scanning Submillimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer (CoSSIR) is a passive remote imaging radiometer. It has been flown on multiple aircraft since its development, including NASA’s ER-2 aircraft. CoSSIR was designed to take measurements of ice clouds and brightness temperatures. Its measurements can also be used to estimate water vapor profiles and snowfall rates. CoSSIR has a surface footprint of 1.4 km at nadir. It completes a scan cycle every 4.6 seconds. CoSSIR has 12 channels and operates in the 183-874 GHz range.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Profiles
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
The Rosemount Icing Detector (RICE) is an in situ airborne probe manufactured by Rosemount Inc. It is a magnetostrictive oscillation probe that detects changes in the frequency of oscillation due to ice buildup on the sensing cylinder. These changes in frequency can be related to the rate of ice accretion, which can be used to derive liquid water content. RICE has a typical sampling rate of 1 second.
The Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP) is an in situ cloud probe manufactured by Droplet Measurement Technologies. It measures the particle size distribution and concentration for cloud particles in the 2-50 μm size range. CDP detects pulses of light scattered from a laser (658 nm) to count and size individual cloud droplets. CDP has a typical measurement rate of 1 Hz and can detect concentrations of up to 2000 particles per cubic centimeter.
The 2D-Stereo Particle Probe (2D-S) is an in situ airborne optical imaging probe developed by SPEC Inc. The 2D-S uses two diode laser beams to produce stereo cloud particle images through linear array shadowing. Through the imagery, cloud particle size distribution, particle number concentration, and ice/liquid water content can be determined. It has a resolution of 10 µm and can measure hydrometeors in the 25-1280 µm range.
The Hawkeye Combination Cloud Particle Probe is a combination of four cloud probes. The first probe is the Fast Cloud Droplet Probe (FCDP) which records individual particle statistics and digitizes waveforms. The second and third probes are 10-µm channel and 50-µm channel 2D-S probes. The fourth probe is a 400 frame per second Cloud Particle Imager (CPI). The Hawkeye probe was initially developed to fly on the NASA Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
The Diode Laser Hygrometer (DLH) is an in situ airborne hygrometer developed by NASA’s Langley Research Center (LaRC). It uses tunable diode laser absorption to measure water vapor in the atmosphere. DLH operates in the near-infrared region at around 1.4 μm and has a measurement frequency of 100 Hz. It can provide accurate measurements of water vapor even while flying through clouds.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity > Relative Humidity
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity
This data will be added in future versions
Earth Science > >
The Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) is an airborne system that utilizes dropsondes and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to collect in situ profiles of atmospheric state parameters. It provides profile measurements of temperature, pressure, and humidity at a sampling frequency of 0.5 s and measurements of atmospheric winds at a frequency of 0.25 s. AVAPS has a vertical resolution of about 10 m and can allow for dropsonde launches every 20 s. AVAPS was developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) for the NASA Global Hawk, but it can be deployed on other aircraft such as the DC-8 and P-3.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Humidity
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Temperature
The High Volume Precipitation Spectrometer 3 (HVPS-3) is an in situ airborne particle imager manufactured by SPEC Inc. It uses a 128-photodiode array to provide imagery of precipitation particles. The imagery can be used to determine the shape, size, and concentration of the particles. HVPS-3 has a pixel resolution of 150 μm and a maximum field of view of 1.92 cm.
The King Probe is an airborne cloud probe developed by Warren King (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and manufactured by Particle Measuring Systems (PMS) and Droplet Measurement Technologies (DMT). The King Probe provides measurements of cloud liquid water content (LWC) by measuring the heat released when water droplets are vaporized. The King Probe operates at a constant temperature (~100 C) and has a data output rate of 1 to 10 Hz. It is typically used in cloud microphysics and aircraft icing studies.
The Two-Dimensional Video Disdrometer (2DVD) is a stationary ground-based optical disdrometer. It is equipped with two line-scan cameras that provide continuous measurements of various precipitation properties such as droplet shape, fall velocity, and size distribution. The 2DVD is capable of accurate measurements for all precipitation particles with a diameter > 0.2 mm, making it well-suited for various precipitation studies.
The Micro Rain Radar (MRR) is a ground-based, vertically pointing, continuous wave K-band (24.23 GHz) radar that measures various parameters of precipitation such as liquid water content and rain rate from near ground level to the lower troposphere. The backscatter received by the MRR’s antenna can measure precipitation size distributions in the range of 0.25 mm to 4.53 mm, as well as calculate the frequency shift of falling precipitation to be used to calculate its velocity. Additional applications of the MRR include locating bright bands, nowcasting precipitation, and capturing chemical transport during precipitation events.
The Precipitation and Imaging Probe (PIP) is an airborne optical spectrometer manufactured by Droplet Measurement Technologies. It measures the size and shape of particles in the size range of 100-6200 μm. It provides 2-dimensional imagery with a pixel resolution of 100 μm. PIP operates at the 660 nm wavelength and has a typical sampling frequency of 1 second. It has a sample area of 260 mm x 6.2 mm and can operate at airspeeds of 10-200 meters per second.
Ceilometers are ground-based, remote-sensing sensors that provide measurements of cloud ceilings and vertical visibility. They use either a laser beam or another light source to detect backscatter of clouds, precipitation, and aerosols. Ceilometers can provide detailed and accurate measurements in all types of weather conditions and have low operating costs. Ceilometers are typically used in boundary layer and cloud research applications.
The microwave radiometers (MWRs) are ground-based radiometers manufactured by Radiometrics Corporation and operated by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Research Facility. MWR measures brightness temperature at 23.8 and 31.4 GHz to derive column-integrated amounts of water vapor and liquid water in the atmosphere. MWR has a field of view (FOV) from about 5.9 to 4.5 degrees depending on the channel and has a typical time resolution of 20 s for sky-view observations.
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor > Water Vapor Indicators > Water Vapor
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Microwave > Brightness Temperature
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Atmospheric Water Vapor
The Autonomous Parsivel Unit (APU) is an in situ ground-based optical disdrometer. APU measures the size and fall velocity of hydrometeors with a size range of 0-25mm and fall velocities between 0-20 m/s. From these measurements, the drop size distribution, type, intensity, and amount of precipitation can be determined. APU operates in the 650-780 nm wavelength range and has a typical sampling frequency of 10 s.
Pluvio is a ground-based weighing precipitation gauge manufactured by OTT HydroMet. It measures the precipitation amount and rate by determining its weight using a high-capacity collection bucket. Pluvio can be used to measure rain, snow, sleet, hail, and mixed precipitation types. It has a standard sampling interval of 1 minute.
The NASA S-band Dual Polarimetric Radar (NPOL) is a transportable, ground-based scanning dual polarimetric Doppler radar. As an active remote sensor, NPOL detects returned electromagnetic radiation to identify radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity, rainfall rate, particle size distribution, water contents, and precipitation type. Under typical operating conditions, NPOL has a beamwidth of 0.95° and a 150 km maximum range. NPOL is operationally equivalent to Doppler radars employed by the U.S. National Weather Service’s Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) network, but NPOL has the added advantage of being fully deployable.
If instrument model information is not available, can use this instrument entry for temperature, pressues, wind speed, wind direction, humidity
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The Dual-frequency Dual-polarized Doppler Radar (D3R) is a mobile Ku-/Ka-band radar that was developed for NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission Ground Validation (GV) program. D3R is an active remote, ground-based sensor that measures radar backscatter to provide reflectivity, Doppler velocity, differential reflectivity, correlation coefficient, and other radar observations. These measurements can be used to derive droplet size distribution and determine hydrometer type. D3R has a beam width of around 0.9 degrees, a maximum range of 30 km, and a gate spacing of 150 m. D3R operates at similar wavelengths as the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) on the GPM Core satellite and can be used for validation of DPR observations.
