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Polarimetric Radar Characteristics of Simulated and Observed Intense Convective Cores for a Midlatitude Continental and Tropical Maritime Environment

Journal Article · · Journal of Hydrometeorology
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland
  2. Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
  3. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
  4. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Lanham, Maryland
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This study contrasts midlatitude continental and tropical maritime deep convective cores using polarimetric radar observables and retrievals from selected deep convection episodes during the MC3E and TWPICE field campaigns. The continental convective cores produce stronger radar reflectivities throughout the profiles, while maritime convective cores produce more positive differential reflectivity Z dr and larger specific differential phase K dp above the melting level. Hydrometeor identification retrievals revealed the presence of large fractions of rimed ice particles (snow aggregates) in the continental (maritime) convective cores, consistent with the Z dr and K dp observations. The regional cloud-resolving model simulations with bulk and size-resolved bin microphysics are conducted for the selected cases, and the simulation outputs are converted into polarimetric radar signals and retrievals identical to the observational composites. Both the bulk and the bin microphysics reproduce realistic land and ocean (L-O) contrasts in reflectivity, polarimetric variables of rain drops, and hydrometeor profiles, but there are still large uncertainties in describing Z dr and K dp of ice crystals associated with the ice particle shapes/orientation assumptions. Sensitivity experiments are conducted by swapping background aerosols between the continental and maritime environments, revealing that background aerosols play a role in shaping the distinct L-O contrasts in radar reflectivity associated with raindrop sizes, in addition to the dominant role of background thermodynamics.

Research Organization:
Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0014371
OSTI ID:
1606072
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1802621
Journal Information:
Journal of Hydrometeorology, Journal Name: Journal of Hydrometeorology Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 21; ISSN 1525-755X
Publisher:
American Meteorological SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Cloud microphysics
Convective-scale processes
Maritime Continent
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Radars/Radar observations
Storm environments