Earth Data School
About
Full catalog/2dimpacts
2dimpacts·v1·dataset

Raindrop size and speed from a video sensor (IMPACTS)

Two-Dimensional Video Disdrometer (2DVD) IMPACTS V1
atmosphere NASA GHRC_DAAC Level 2 ASCII
In plain English

What it measures. The size, shape, and falling speed of raindrops and snow particles, along with quantities like rain rate and how much water the precipitation holds. Measurements were taken at the ground during winter 2020.

How it's made. Recorded by a ground-based Two-Dimensional Video Disdrometer, a camera-based instrument that photographs falling precipitation, during the IMPACTS snowstorm field campaign.

How & where you'd use it. Helps scientists understand how snow and rain particles form and grow, and improves how radar and satellites interpret snowfall.

What's measured

Atmosphere › Clouds › Cloud Microphysics › Cloud Droplet Concentration/SizeAtmosphere › Precipitation › Droplet SizeAtmosphere › Precipitation › Precipitation Rate

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2020-01-15 → 2020-02-28
  • Measured byGROUND STATIONS (2DVD)
  • Processing levelLevel 2
  • Spatial extent-75.4912, 37.9194, -75.4462, 37.9543
  • FormatsASCII
  • StatusCOMPLETE

What you can do with it

  • Map air pollutants — NO₂, aerosols, ozone
  • Track greenhouse gases and Earth's energy budget
  • Feed weather and air-quality analysis
Official description

The Two-Dimensional Video Disdrometer (2DVD) IMPACTS data were collected in support of the Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) campaign. The IMPACTS field campaign addressed providing observations critical to understanding the mechanisms of snowband formation, organization, and evolution, examining how the microphysical characteristics and likely growth mechanisms of snow particles vary across snowbands, and improving snowfall remote sensing interpretation and modeling to significantly advance prediction capabilities. These data consist of the size, equivalent diameter, fall speed, oblateness, cross-sectional area of raindrops, particle concentration, total number of drops, total drop concentration, liquid water content, rain rate, reflectivity, and rain event characteristics. Data files are available from January 15, 2020 through February 28, 2020 in ASCII format.

Get the data

2dimpacts_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="2dimpacts",
    version="1",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from GHRC_DAAC
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.