SAFIRE ATR42: RASTA L2 dataset

RASTA is an up-looking pulsed 95 GHz Doppler cloud radar with two antennas (zenith and backward). The radar was dedicated to the characterization of cloud microphysics and dynamics. The radar was operated at 30 m resolution with a maximum range of 6 km at 1 s integration with both Doppler moments (reflectivity and velocity) available. The radar reflectivity is range-corrected and calibrated, and the background noise is removed using a thresholding technique based on the background noise characteristics. The reflectivity is corrected for gaseous attenuation using co-located information from dropsonde temperature, humidity and pressure. Once the Doppler velocity is unfolded and corrected from aircraft’s motion and when backward and zenith antennas are simultaneously available, the vertical velocity and the along-track wind components of the cloud/precipitation wind are retrieved. Two antennas allow us to retrieve the two components of the wind in the plan defined by the two antennas. Level 2 data are available for the flights during which the radar was operating and clouds were detectable with the radar (RF03, RF04, RF11, RF12, plus all flights from RF13 to RF19). For all these flights but two (RF11 and RF12), two antennas were working (zenith and up-backward), which allows us to derive wind information (its radial component) in addition to cloud information. For RF11 and RF12, only one antenna (zenith) was working and therefore the wind information is not available.