The St. Croix Radiosondes CPEX-AW dataset consists of atmospheric pressure, atmospheric temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction measurements. These measurements were taken from the DFM-09 Radiosonde instrument during the Convective Processes Experiment – Aerosols & Winds (CPEX-AW) field campaign. CPEX-AW was a joint effort between the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) with the primary goal of conducting a post-launch calibration and validation activities of the Atmospheric Dynamics Mission-Aeolus (ADM-AEOLUS) Earth observation wind Lidar satellite in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Data are available from August 19, 2021 through September 14, 2021 in netCDF and ASCII formats, with associated browse imagery in PNG format.

The GRIP Barbados/Cape Verde radiosonde data set consists of generally two soundings per day (06Z and 12Z) launched from Barbados, and one sounding per day (12Z) launched from Cape Verde during the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) field campaign. The major goal was to better understand how tropical storms form and develop into major hurricanes. These radiosondes measure the profile of atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, from the ground to an altitude of up to 40 km (in general, the sondes reached at least a pressure of 100 milibars). The launch program began on August 14, 2010 and ended September 24, 2010. The sondes used were type DFM-06, built by GRAW Radiosondes, Nuremberg Germany. Most ascents were done with TOTEX 200-g latex balloons using the DMF-06 sondes. A few launches were made using TOTEX 800-g Balloons with the DFM-97 package (connected with ECC ozonesonde). On some days launch times were changed, and multiple launches were made from Barbados on September 9, 10 and 21. The data were retrieved using a GRAWMET GS-E ground station. The sample rate of the data was 4 seconds for the Barbados data and 2 seconds for the Cape Verde data.

The RI CPEX dataset consists of data collected from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2), Global Precipitation Measurement Microwave Imager (GMI), and Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) onboard satellites measuring atmospheric and surface conditions. These data were gathered during the Convective Processes Experiment (CPEX) field campaign. CPEX collected data to help answer questions about convective storm initiation, organization, growth, and dissipation in the North Atlantic-Gulf of America-Caribbean Oceanic region during the early summer of 2017. These data files are available from May 24, 2017, through July 16, 2017, in netCDF-3 format.

The NOAA Radiosonde Observations - 1989 (NCDC) Data Set contains radiosonde data obtained from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). These 396 days of data cover 13 months from October 1988 through October 1989. These data were collected using sondes released in Dodge City and Topeka Kansas, 337 km and 68 km, respectively, from the FIFE study area. Radiosonde observations were made to determine the pressure, temperature, and humidity from the surface to the point where the sounding was terminated. It is assumed that the use of these data is applicable to the FIFE study because these meteorological data are relatively stable in the horizontal domain. These data may be used as input to numerical models, as well as verification data for simulation studies.

The High Altitude MMIC Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR) CPEX dataset includes measurements gathered by the HAMSR instrument during the Convective Processes Experiment (CPEX) field campaign. The CPEX field campaign took place in the North Atlantic-Gulf of America-Caribbean Sea region from 25 May-25 June 2017. CPEX conducted a total of sixteen DC-8 missions from 27 May-24 June. The CPEX campaign collected data to help explain convective storm initiation, organization, growth, and dissipation in the North Atlantic-Gulf of America-Caribbean Oceanic region during the early summer of 2017. HAMSR has 25 spectral channels which are split into 3 bands to provide measurements that can be used to infer the 3-dimensional distribution of temperature, water vapor, and cloud liquid water profiles in the atmosphere, even in the presence of clouds. Data are available from May 24, 2017 through July 16, 2017 in netCDF-3 format.

CPEXCV-Dropsondes_1 is the dropsonde data files collected during the Convective Processes Experiment - Cabo Verde (CPEX-CV). Data collection for this product is complete.Seeking to better understand atmospheric processes in regions with little data, the Convective Processes Experiment – Cabo Verde (CPEX-CV) campaign conducted by NASA is a continuation of the CPEX – Aerosols & Winds (CPEX-AW) campaign that took place between August to September 2021. The campaign will take place between 1-30 September 2022 and will operate out of Sal Island, Cabo Verde with the primary goal of investigating atmospheric dynamics, marine boundary layer properties, convection, the dust-laden Saharan Air Layer, and their interactions across various spatial scales to improve understanding and predictability of process-level lifecycles in the data-sparse tropical East Atlantic region.CPEX-CV will work towards its goal by addressing four main science objectives. The first goal is to improve understanding of the interaction between large-scale environmental forcings such as the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), Saharan Air Layer, African easterly waves, and mid-level African easterly jet, and the lifecycle and properties of convective cloud systems, including tropical cyclone precursors, in the tropical East Atlantic region. Next, observations will be made about how local kinematic and thermodynamic conditions, including the vertical structure and variability of the marine boundary layer, relate to the initiation and lifecycle of convective cloud systems and their processes. Third, CPEX-CV will investigate how dynamical and convective processes affect size dependent Saharan dust vertical structure, long-range Saharan dust transport, and boundary layer exchange pathways. The last objective will be to assess the impact of CPEX-CV observations of atmospheric winds, thermodynamics, clouds, and aerosols on the prediction of tropical Atlantic weather systems and validate and interpret spaceborne remote sensors that provide similar measurements.To achieve these objectives, the NASA DC-8 aircraft will be deployed with remote sensing instruments and dropsondes that will allow for the measurement of tropospheric aerosols, winds, temperature, water vapor, and precipitation. Instruments onboard the aircraft include the Airborne Third Generation Precipitation Radar (APR-3), lidars such as the Doppler Aerosol WiNd Lidar (DAWN), High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO), High Altitude Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR), Advanced Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) dropsonde system, Cloud Aerosol and Precipitation Spectrometer (CAPS), and the Airborne In-situ and Radio Occultation (AIRO) instrument. Measurements taken by CPEX-CV will assist in moving science forward from previous CPEX and CPEX-AW missions, the calibration and validation of satellite measurements, and the development of airborne sensors, especially those with potential for satellite deployment.

The High Altitude MMIC Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR) CPEX-CV dataset includes measurements gathered by the HAMSR instrument during the Convective Processes Experiment – Cabo Verde (CPEX-CV) field campaign. The NASA CPEX-CV field campaign will be based out of Sal Island, Cabo Verde from August through September 2022. The campaign is a continuation of CPEX – Aerosols and Winds (CPEX-AW) and was conducted aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft equipped with remote sensors and dropsonde-launch capability that will allow for the measurement of tropospheric aerosols, winds, temperature, water vapor, and precipitation. The overarching CPEX-CV goal was to investigate atmospheric dynamics, marine boundary layer properties, convection, the dust-laden Saharan Air Layer, and their interactions across various spatial scales to improve understanding and predictability of process-level lifecycles in the data-sparse tropical East Atlantic region. HAMSR has 25 spectral channels which are split into 3 bands to provide measurements that can be used to infer the 3-dimensional distribution of temperature, water vapor, and cloud liquid water profiles in the atmosphere, even in the presence of clouds. Data are available from September 6-30, 2022 in netCDF-4 format.

The NAMMA Praia Cape Verde Radiosonde data used Sippican MarkIIa DGPS (LOS) radiosondes, which were launched in support of NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) mission. This mission was based in the Cape Verde Islands, 350 miles off the coast of Senegal in west Africa. Commencing in August 2006, NASA scientists employed surface observation networks and aircraft to characterize the evolution and structure of African Easterly Waves (AEWs) and Mesoscale Convective Systems over continental western Africa, and their associated impacts on regional water and energy budgets. The radiosondes released were Sippican MK-IIa units developed by Lockheed Martin. The atmospheric soundings were used to measure pressure, temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed and spatial coordinates. Data is grouped by ascending and descending flights and includes temperature, Skew-T, trajectory, wind and time series plots.

CPEXAW-Dropsondes_1 is the dropsonde data files collected during the Convective Processes Experiment - Aerosols & Winds (CPEX-AW). Data collection for this product is complete.The Convective Processes Experiment – Aerosols & Winds (CPEX-AW) campaign was a joint effort between the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) with the primary goal of conducting a post-launch calibration and validation activities of the Atmospheric Dynamics Mission-Aeolus (ADM-AEOLUS) Earth observation wind Lidar satellite in St. Croix. CPEX-AW is a follow-on to the Convective Processes Experiment (CPEX) field campaign which took place in the summer of 2017. In addition to joint calibration/validation of ADM-AEOLUS, CPEX-AW studied the dynamics related to the Saharan Air Layer, African Easterly Waves and Jets, Tropical Easterly Jet, and deep convection in the InterTropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). CPEX-AW science goals include:• Better understanding interactions of convective cloud systems and tropospheric winds as part of the joint NASA-ESA Aeolus Cal/Val effort over the tropical Atlantic;• Observing the vertical structure and variability of the marine boundary layer in relation to initiation and lifecycle of the convective cloud systems, convective processes (e.g., cold pools), and environmental conditions within and across the ITCZ;• Investigating how the African easterly waves and dry air and dust associated with Sahara Air Layer control the convectively suppressed and active periods of the ITCZ;• Investigating interactions of wind, aerosol, clouds, and precipitation and effects on long range dust transport and air quality over the western Atlantic.In order to successfully achieve the objectives of the campaign, NASA deployed its DC-8 aircraft equipped with an Airborne Third Generation Precipitation Radar (APR-3), Doppler Aerosol WiNd Lidar (DAWN), High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO), High Altitude Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR), and dropsondes. This campaign aims to provide useful material to atmospheric scientists, meteorologists, lidar experts, air quality experts, professors, and students. The Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) archives the dropsonde, HALO, and DAWN data products for CPEX-AW. For additional datasets please visit the Global Hydrometeorology Resource Center (GHRC).

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) CPEX dataset contains products obtained from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard the NASA Aqua satellite. These data were collected in support of the NASA Convective Processes Experiment (CPEX) field campaign. The CPEX field campaign took place in the North Atlantic-Gulf of America-Caribbean Sea region and conducted a total of sixteen DC-8 missions from May through June 2017. The CPEX campaign collected data to help explain convective storm initiation, organization, growth, and dissipation in the North Atlantic-Gulf of America-Caribbean Oceanic region during the early summer of 2017. These data are available from May 11, 2017 through July 16, 2017 and are available in HDF-4 format.