Rain retrieval from dual-frequency radar Doppler spectra: validation and potential for a midlatitude precipitating case-study

Tridon, F.; Battaglia, A.; Luke, E.; Kollias, P.

doi:10.1002/qj.3010

Title: Rain retrieval from dual-frequency radar Doppler spectra: validation and potential for a midlatitude precipitating case-study

Journal Article · 26 January 2017 · Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3010 · OSTI ID:1376170

^[1];

^[2]; Luke, E. ^[3]; Kollias, P. ^[4]

Univ. of Leicester (United Kingdom). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
Univ. of Leicester (United Kingdom). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Univ. of Leicester (United Kingdom). Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO)
Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Atmospheric Sciences Division
Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States). School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences

A recently developed technique retrieving the binned raindrop size distributions (DSDs) and air state parameters from ground-based K_a and W-band radars Doppler spectra profiles is improved and applied to a typical midlatitude rain event. The retrievals are thoroughly validated against DSD observations of a 2D video disdrometer and independent X-band observations. Here for this case-study, profiles of rain rate, R, mean volume diameter and concentration parameter are retrieved, with low bias and standard deviations. In light rain (0.1 < R < 1 mm h^-1), the radar reflectivities must be calibrated with a collocated disdrometer which introduces random errors due to sampling mismatch between the two instruments. The best performances are obtained in moderate rain (1 < R < 20 mm h^-1) where the retrieval is providing self-consistent estimates of the absolute calibration and of the attenuation caused by antenna or radome wetness for both radars.

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Research Organization:: Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0012704

OSTI ID:: 1376170

Report Number(s):: BNL--114145-2017-JA; KP1701000

Journal Information:: Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, Journal Name: Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society Journal Issue: 704 Vol. 143; ISSN 0035-9009

Publisher:: Royal Meteorological SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Can liquid cloud microphysical processes be used for vertically pointing cloud radar calibration? Maahn, Maximilian; Hoffmann, Fabian; Shupe, Matthew D. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, Vol. 12, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-3151-2019	journal	January 2019
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Title: Rain retrieval from dual-frequency radar Doppler spectra: validation and potential for a midlatitude precipitating case-study

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