Particle Habit Imaging and Polar Scattering Probe (PHIPS) IMPACTS V1

The Particle Habit Imaging and Polar Scattering (PHIPS) Probes IMPACTS dataset consists of cloud particle imagery collected by the Particle Habit Imaging and Polar Scattering (PHIPS) probe onboard the NASA P-3 aircraft during the Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) field campaign. IMPACTS was a three-year sequence of winter season deployments conducted to study snowstorms over the U.S. Atlantic Coast (2020-2023). The campaign aimed to (1) Provide observations critical to understanding the mechanisms of snowband formation, organization, and evolution; (2) Examine how the microphysical characteristics and likely growth mechanisms of snow particles vary across snowbands; and (3) Improve snowfall remote sensing interpretation and modeling to significantly advance prediction capabilities. PHIPS allows for the measurement of particle shape, size, and habit. The browse files in this dataset contain the post-processed particle-by-particle stereo images (2 images from different angles) collected by PHIPS during the campaign. The files are available from January 18, 2020, through February 28, 2023, in PNG format.