What question did this study set out to answer?

To examine how mesoscale tropical convection relates to tropical waves and air-sea interactions that drive convection and cyclone formation.

March 13, 2026Earth system science data0 citationsOpen Access

RAPSODI: radiosonde atmospheric profiles from ship and island platforms during ORCESTRA, collected to Decipher the ITCZ

MWMarius Winkler MRMarius Rixen FBFlorent Beucher

Key Points

To examine how mesoscale tropical convection relates to tropical waves and air-sea interactions that drive convection and cyclone formation.
Conducted radiosonde launches every three hours during a 52-day campaign
Utilized three platforms: Cape Verde Islands, R/V Meteor ship, and Barbados Cloud Observatory
Captured high-resolution profiles of temperature, humidity, pressure, and winds
Provided quality-controlled and vertically gridded datasets
A total of 624 radiosondes successfully launched
Data available includes raw measurements, oscillating profiles, and vertically gridded profiles
The dataset serves as a resource for studying atmospheric structure and processes related to the ITCZ

Abstract

Abstract. The RAPSODI (Radiosonde Atmospheric Profiles from Ship and island platforms during ORCESTRA, collected to Decipher the ITCZ) radiosonde dataset was collected during the ORCESTRA field campaign in August and September 2024. It is designed to investigate the mechanisms linking mesoscale tropical convection to tropical waves and to air-sea heat and moisture exchanges that regulate convection and tropical cyclone formation. The campaign began at the Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia e Geofísica (INMG) on Sal in the Cape Verde Islands, continued with ship-based observations aboard the German research vessel R/V Meteor during an Atlantic transect, and concluded at the Barbados Cloud Observatory (BCO) in the eastern Caribbean. Over the 52 d campaign, a total of 624 radiosondes were launched at high temporal frequency (typically every three hours), capturing high-resolution vertical profiles of temperature, humidity, pressure, and winds from three complementary platforms. The dataset encompasses raw, quality-controlled, and vertically gridded data, is detailed in this paper and offers a valuable resource for investigating the atmospheric structure and processes shaping tropical convection and the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). The datasets generated in this study include raw radiosonde measurements (Level 0), oscillating and merged radiosonde profiles (Level 1), and vertically gridded profiles (Level 2), which are publicly available via the ORCESTRA data portal and DOI-referenced archives (Winkler et al., 2025a; https://ipfs.io/ipns/latest.orcestra-campaign.org/raw/BCO/radiosondes/, Winkler et al., 2025b; https://ipfs.io/ipns/latest.orcestra-campaign.org/raw/INMG/radiosondes/, Winkler et al., 2025c; https://ipfs.io/ipns/latest.orcestra-campaign.org/raw/METEOR/radiosondes/, Winkler et al., 2025d; https://doi.org/10.82246/BAFYBEIHXRAJOJUQZYX65QSO7AMA6NGVREETKDW3HQZX3SDZFB7LCMG6VAQ, Winkler et al., 2026; https://doi.org/10.82246/BAFYBEIA34AUWYVBH2RQ7CN7AGUZZ7PULQ2KRDDDIEESM6KPYSI, Winkler and Rixen, 2026a; https://doi.org/10.82246/BAFYBEID7CNW62ZMZFGXCVC6Q6FA267A7IVK2W, Winkler and Rixen, 2026b).

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