Scientists
Research Grants
Scientific Publications
Informatics Research
NSIDC Scientific Expeditions
Scientists blog from Antarctica and provide a glimpse of what it's like to do research in the field. 
What's hot in the news around climate and sea ice and what are scientists talking about now? 
This data set includes hourly precipitation data taken at 20 rain gauge locations as part of the Soil Moisture Experiment 2002 (SMEX02).
Data Set ID:
NSIDC-0236
SMEX02 Rain Gauge Network, Walnut Creek, Iowa, Version 1
This is the most recent version of these data.
Version Summary:
initial release
BASIC Level of Service
Data: Data integrity verified
Documentation: Key metadata and links to supporting documentation available
User Support: Assistance with data access and basic data usage
|
Geographic Coverage |
- If you are not currently logged in to Earthdata, you will be prompted to do so.
- You may register for an Earthdata Login if you do not have an account.
Once you have logged in, you will be able to click and download files via a Web browser. There are also options for downloading via a command line or client. For more detailed instructions, please see Options Available for Bulk Downloading Data from HTTPS with Earthdata Login.
As a condition of using these data, you must cite the use of this data set using the following citation. For more information, see our Use and Copyright Web page.
Prueger, J. 2004. SMEX02 Rain Gauge Network, Walnut Creek, Iowa, Version 1. [Indicate subset used]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. doi: https://doi.org/10.5067/CL64ZTG0S892. [Date Accessed].Collapse All / Open All
Detailed Data Description
Format
Data are ASCII tab-delimited text files.
Background color on
File Size
File size is 1.7 MB.
Background color on
Volume
Total volume of combined files is 1.7 MB
Background color on
Spatial Coverage
Southernmost Latitude: 41.94°N
Northernmost Latitude: 41.99°N
Westernmost Longitude: 93.8°W
Easternmost Longitude: 93.4°W
Background color on
Temporal Coverage
Data were collected from 1 June 2002 to 19 August 2002.
Temporal Resolution
Data were gathered every hour.
Background color on
Parameter or Variable
The following table describes the columns in the data file.
| Column/Parameter | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Site_ID | Rain gauge identifier | |
| Latitude | degrees | WGS84 |
| Longitude | degrees | WGS84 |
| UTM_Easting | meters (m) | WGS84, Zone 15 |
| UTM_Northing | meters (m) | WGS84, Zone 15 |
| Date | mm/dd/yyyy | Date measurement was taken |
| Hour | 0 to 23 | Hour measurement was taken (0 is midnight Central Standard Time) |
| Precip | millimeters (mm) | Amount of precipitation measured (missing data are represented by -99) |
Sample Data Record
The following table shows a small sample of the data file.
| SITE_ID | lat | lon | Easting | Northing | DATE | hour | precip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 703 | 41.9792 | -93.6582 | 445452 | 4647680 | 6/1/2002 | 0 | 0 |
| 703 | 41.9792 | -93.6582 | 445452 | 4647680 | 6/1/2002 | 1 | 0 |
| ... | |||||||
| 703 | 41.9792 | -93.6582 | 445452 | 4647680 | 6/2/2002 | 5 | 3.6 |
| 703 | 41.9792 | -93.6582 | 445452 | 4647680 | 6/2/2002 | 6 | 0.8 |
| 703 | 41.9792 | -93.6582 | 445452 | 4647680 | 6/2/2002 | 7 | 0 |
| 703 | 41.9792 | -93.6582 | 445452 | 4647680 | 6/2/2002 | 8 | 1.3 |
Background color on
Software and Tools
Background color on
Data Acquisition and Processing
Theory of Measurements
Rain gauges are intended to provide continuous measurements of the precipitation at a single point, with many gauges distributed throughout the watershed.
Background color on
Sensor or Instrument Description
The sources are twenty rain gauges placed in crop fields in the study area. A Texas Electronics model TE525 tipping bucket rain gauge measured precipitation. The device consists of small cones that fill up and tip when a specific amount of rain falls into the cone. The number of tips is converted to a calculated rainfall amount. These data are logged to a Campbell Scientific CR10 datalogger.
Background color on
References and Related Publications
Contacts and Acknowledgments
John Prueger, Hydrologist
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Research Service (ARS) National Soil Tilth Laboratory.
Acknowledgments:
Dr. Prueger would like to acknowledge the National Soil Tilth Laboratory in Ames, Iowa for support in maintaining this rain gauge network.
Document Information
DOCUMENT CREATION DATE
May 2004
No technical references available for this data set.
How To
V0 Programmatic Data Access Guide
Data from the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) can be accessed directly from our HTTPS file system. We provide basic command line Wget and curl instructions for HTTPS file system downloads below. For questions about programmatic access to NSIDC... read more
