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Instrument

Rain Gauge
Rain Gauge

Rain gauges are ground-based instruments that provide in situ measurements of liquid precipitation amounts over a set time. There are multiple types of rain gauges that each collect and record data differently such as the tipping bucket rain gauge and weighing precipitation gauge. Rain gauges can be deployed in various locations due to their relatively small size and easy set-up and are typically colocated with other precipitation instruments such as disdrometers to provide more details about precipitation being collected such as precipitation rate and size distribution.

an image of a rain gauge
NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory passes Antarctica's tallest peak, Mount Vinson, on Oct. 22, 2012, during a flight over the continent to measure changes in the massive ice sheet and sea ice. Credit: NASA/Michael Studinger (Photography courtesy NASA Images)

Overview

Instrument Details

Gauge
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Precipitation > Liquid Precipitation
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Precipitation > Precipitation Amount
Earth Science > Atmosphere > Precipitation
Land Surface
Variable
Point
Variable
https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/atot/14/6/1520-0426_1997_014_1513_anmfad_2_0_co_2.xmlExternal Link

Instrument Operation

IPHEx

Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment

2014
Southern Appalachians, including portions of North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia
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1 Deployment
· 47 Data Products
MC3E

Mid-latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment

2011
Central Oklahoma, Southern Plains
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1 Deployment
· 34 Data Products
OTTER

Oregon Transect Ecosystem Research Project

1989—1991
western coniferous forest in Oregon
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3 Deployments
· 14 Data Products
SAFARI 2000

Southern African Regional Science Initiative

1999—2001
Southern Africa
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4 Deployments
· 117 Data Products
FIFE

First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment

1987—1989
Central Kansas
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2 Deployments
· 101 Data Products
BOREAS

Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study

1994—1996
Boreal forests of central Canada
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2 Deployments
· 303 Data Products
CAMEX

Convection and Moisture Experiment

1993—2001
US Atlantic coast, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean
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4 Deployments
· 70 Data Products
C3VP

Canadian CloudSat/CALIPSO Validation Project

2006—2007
Ontario, Canada
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1 Deployment
· 6 Data Products
GCPEx

GPM Cold Season Precipitation Experiment

2012
Ontario, Canada and northern portions of the United States (e.g., New York state, the New England area, etc.)
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1 Deployment
· 44 Data Products
OLYMPEX

Olympic Mountains Experiment

2015—2016
Olympic Peninsula in U.S. Washington State
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1 Deployment
· 36 Data Products
FIRE

First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment

1986—1998
Central and Midwest United States, California Coast, Northwest Africa, Alaska
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5 Deployments
· 131 Data Products
SMEX

Soil Moisture Experiment

2002—2005
Iowa, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Arizona, Sonora, Mexico
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4 Deployments
· 0 Data Products
SMAPVEX

Soil Moisture Active Passive Validation Experiment

2008—2022
United States, Canada, Iowa, Maryland, Arizona, Massachusetts, Manitoba
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5 Deployments
· 25 Data Products
TRMM-LBA logo converted gif to png
TRMM-LBA

Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission-Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere

1999
Brazil, Southwest Amazon basin
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1 Deployment
· 1 Data Product
AirMOSS

Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface

2012—2015
North America
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40 Deployments
· 19 Data Products
SMEX

Soil Moisture Experiment

2002—2005
Iowa, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Arizona, Sonora, Mexico
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4 Deployments
· 0 Data Products
FIRE

First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment

1986—1998
Central and Midwest United States, California Coast, Northwest Africa, Alaska
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5 Deployments
· 131 Data Products
ASTEX

Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment

1992
Azores and Madeira islands
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1 Deployment
· 0 Data Products
Malcolm Baldrige

R/V Malcolm Baldrige

2 Campaigns · 9 Instruments
FIRE

First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment

1986—1998
Central and Midwest United States, California Coast, Northwest Africa, Alaska
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5 Deployments
· 131 Data Products
ASTEX

Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment

1992
Azores and Madeira islands
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1 Deployment
· 0 Data Products
Moored Buoy

Moored Buoy

Stationary
2 Campaigns · 11 Instruments
SPURS

Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study

2012—2017
Subtropical North Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean
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2 Deployments
· 41 Data Products
Lady Amber

R/V Lady Amber

1 Campaign · 7 Instruments
SPURS

Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study

2012—2017
Subtropical North Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean
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2 Deployments
· 41 Data Products
SPURS

Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study

2012—2017
Subtropical North Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean
view all deployment dates
2 Deployments
· 41 Data Products
SPURS

Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study

2012—2017
Subtropical North Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean
view all deployment dates
2 Deployments
· 41 Data Products

Data Products

Filter data products from this instrument by specific campaigns, platforms, or formats.

Campaigns
CAMPAIGNS
Platforms
PLATFORMS
Formats
FORMATS
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/460External Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/IFLOODS/PROBES/DATA301External Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/IFLOODS/GAUGES/DATA/101External Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/IFLOODS/GAUGE/DATA202External Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/IFLOODS/NMQ/DATA101External Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/IPHEX/GAUGES/DATA301External Link
10.5067/CAMEX-4/MULTIPLE/DATA201External Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/GCPEX/GAUGES/DATA101External Link
10.5067/CAMEX-4/MUTLIPLE/DATA202External Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/LPVEX/PLUVIO/DATA301External Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/MC3E/GAUGE/DATA202External Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/MC3E/METSTATION/DATA001External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1417External Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/OLYMPEX/GAUGES/DATA201External Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/OLYMPEX/MULTIPLE/DATA301External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/451External Link
10.5067/GPMGV/C3VP/METSTATION/DATA201External Link
ASCII
10.5067/GPMGV/C3VP/METSTATION/DATA101External Link
Excel
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/760External Link
10.5067/ASDC_DAAC/FIRE/0047External Link
ASCII
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/IPHEX/GAUGES/DATA101External Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/IPHEX/GAUGES/DATA202External Link
http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/GPMGV/IPHEX/GAUGES/DATA201External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/89External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/20External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/12External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/368External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/350External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/277External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/358External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/307External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/361External Link
10.5067/ASDC_DAAC/FIRE/0036External Link
R/V Oceanus
ASCII
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/407External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/462External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/516External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/367External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/229External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/464External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/408External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/243External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/249External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/234External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/233External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/254External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/454External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/515External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/275External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/230External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/365External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/512External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/404External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/406External Link
10.5067/IMPACTS/ASOS/DATA101External Link
10.3334/ORNLDAAC/608External Link