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GPM Ground Validation NOAA Parsivel MC3E Table of Contents
The GPM Ground Validation NOAA Parsivel MC3E dataset was collected in central Oklahoma during the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) from April 5, 2011 through June 6, 2011. The NOAA Parsivel dataset includes processed data consisting of either moment data (e.g., reflectivity and rain rate estimates) or raindrop number concentration estimates; the data provided a reference reflectivity to calibrate the S-band profiler during the experiment. The moment data includes 1-minute resolution estimates of rain rate, reflectivity, and other parameters related to the health of the Parsivel instrument. The raindrop number concentration data are also at 1-minute resolution and are the result of converting the observed raindrop passing the sensor into the number of raindrops expected in a unit volume per diameter interval. Both the moment data and the number concentration data were saved in daily files in ASCII format. Daily images were also generated from the Parsivel observations and contain the 1-minute reflectivity, rain rate, and number concentration N(D); browse images are saved in TIF format. CitationThe following example shows how to cite the use of this dataset in a publication. For more information, please see our Citing GHRC DAAC and Data page. Campaign The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission Ground Validation (GV) campaign used a variety of methods for validation of GPM satellite constellation measurements prior to launch of the GPM Core Satellite, which launched on February 27th, 2014. The validation effort included numerous GPM-specific and joint-agency/international external field campaigns, using state of the art cloud and precipitation observational infrastructure (polarimetric radars, profilers, rain gauges, disdrometers). Surface rainfall was measured by very dense rain gauge and disdrometer networks at various field campaign sites. These field campaigns accounted for the majority of the effort and resources expended by Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission Ground Validation (GV). More information about the GPM mission is available here http://pmm.nasa.gov/GPM. The Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) took place in central Oklahoma during the April–June 2011 period. The experiment was a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission Ground Validation (GV) program. The field campaign leveraged the unprecedented observing infrastructure currently available in the central United States, combined with an extensive sounding array, remote sensing and in situ aircraft observations, NASA GPM ground validation remote sensors, and new ARM instrumentation purchased with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. The overarching goal was to provide the most complete characterization of convective cloud systems, precipitation, and the environment that has ever been obtained, providing constraints for model cumulus parameterizations and space-based rainfall retrieval algorithms over land that had never before been available. More information about the MC3E campaign is available here http://pmm.nasa.gov/node/301 and here http://campaign.arm.gov/mc3e/. Instrument DescriptionThe NOAA Parsivel disdrometer was deployed during the MC3E campaign to measure the surface raindrop size distribution and provide a reference reflectivity to calibrate the S-band profiler. The Parsivel disdrometer sensor head was mounted on a pole; a picture showing how the experiment was set up is available here. The manufacture's software was used to collect the original observations with a 60-second dwell time. The original data contained two of the manufacturer's data types: the 'raw' and the 'stats' data files. The raw data consisted of sequences of 32 x 32 matrices counting the occurrence of raindrops in each of the 32 diameter sizes and 32 velocity ranges. The stats data consisted of 1-minute accumulations of raindrop counts for each diameter size and integrated rain quantities including rain rate and reflectivity factor. InvestigatorsChristopher R. Williams, Ph.D., PMP The GPM Ground Validation NOAA Parsivel MC3E dataset includes daily files for the moment data and the number concentration data; there are a total of six files for each day. Data files are named with the following conventions:
Where,
Daily images were generated from the Parsivel observations and contain the 1-minute reflectivity, rain rate, and number concentration N(D). The daily Parsivel images are named with the following convention:
Where the naming convention is the same as above except for, Data Format The NOAA Parsivel dataset includes data files in the ASCII format and browse image files in the TIF format. More details about the NOAA Parsivel instrument and the format of the data files can be found in the PI's documentation. Contact InformationTo order these data or for further information, please contact:
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