182 research outputs found
How observations from automatic hail sensors in Switzerland shed light on local hailfall duration and compare with hailpad measurements
Measuring the properties of hailstorms is a difficult task due to the rarity and mainly small spatial extent of the events. Especially, hail observations from ground-based time-recording instruments are scarce. We present the first study of extended field observations made by a network of 80 automatic hail sensors from Switzerland. The main benefits of the sensors are the live recording of the hailstone kinetic energy and the precise timing of the impacts. Its potential limitations include a diameter-dependent dead time, which results in less than 5â% of missed impacts, and the possible recording of impacts that are not due to hail, which can be filtered using a radar reflectivity filter. We assess the robustness of the sensors' measurements by doing a statistical comparison of the sensor observations with hailpad observations, and we show that, despite their different measurement approaches, both devices measure the same hail size distributions. We then use the timing information to measure the local duration of hail events, the cumulative time distribution of impacts, and the time of the largest hailstone during a hail event. We find that 75â% of local hailfalls last just a few minutes (from less than 4.4âmin to less than 7.7âmin, depending on a parameter to delineate the events) and that 75â% of the impacts occur in less than 3.3âmin to less than 4.7âmin. This time distribution suggests that most hailstones, including the largest, fall during a first phase of high hailstone density, while a few remaining and smaller hailstones fall in a second low-density phase.</p
Recommended from our members
A dynamicalâsystem description of precipitation over the tropics and the midlatitudes
A dynamicalâsystem approach is proposed to describe the relationship between precipitation and a chosen predictor. This is done by constructing a two dimensional phase space spanned by predictor and predictant. This study uses two sounding data sets from the Tropical Western Pacific and Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) over NorthâEast Italy as representatives of the tropics and midlatitudes, in addition to a basinâscale average over the winterâperiod North Atlantic from global reâanalysis data. In contrast to conventional correlation-based approaches, the proposed approach depicts periodic cycles, as well as dischargeârecharge cycles as its nonlinear extension. Dischargeârecharge cycles for tropical convection are identified by using both the convective available potential energy (CAPE) and the columnâintegrated water vapor (CIW) as predictors, as well as the baroclinicity for the winterâperiod NorthâAtlantic rain. On the other hand, the midlatitude rain, as seen over FVG as well as the winterâperiod North Atlantic, does not constitute a wellâdefined periodic cycle either with CAPE or CIW as a predictor. The inferred phaseâspace trajectories are more deterministic at peripheries of dense data areas rather than at a middle in the phase space. Dataâdense areas in phase space, where traditional approaches primarily focus, are associated with more prediction uncertainties in our analysis due to more phase-velocity fluctuations
Recommended from our members
Equitability revisited: why the âequitable threat scoreâ is not equitable
In the forecasting of binary events, verification measures that are âequitableâ were defined by Gandin and Murphy to satisfy two requirements: 1) they award all random forecasting systems, including those that always issue the same forecast, the same expected score (typically zero), and 2) they are expressible as the linear weighted sum of the elements of the contingency table, where the weights are independent of the entries in the table, apart from the base rate. The authors demonstrate that the widely used âequitable threat scoreâ (ETS), as well as numerous others, satisfies neither of these requirements and only satisfies the first requirement in the limit of an infinite sample size. Such measures are referred to as âasymptotically equitable.â In the case of ETS, the expected score of a random forecasting system is always positive and only falls below 0.01 when the number of samples is greater than around 30. Two other asymptotically equitable measures are the odds ratio skill score and the symmetric extreme dependency score, which are more strongly inequitable than ETS, particularly for rare events; for example, when the base rate is 2% and the sample size is 1000, random but unbiased forecasting systems yield an expected score of around â0.5, reducing in magnitude to â0.01 or smaller only for sample sizes exceeding 25 000. This presents a problem since these nonlinear measures have other desirable properties, in particular being reliable indicators of skill for rare events (provided that the sample size is large enough). A potential way to reconcile these properties with equitability is to recognize that Gandin and Murphyâs two requirements are independent, and the second can be safely discarded without losing the key advantages of equitability that are embodied in the first. This enables inequitable and asymptotically equitable measures to be scaled to make them equitable, while retaining their nonlinearity and other properties such as being reliable indicators of skill for rare events. It also opens up the possibility of designing new equitable verification measures
Observational Mass-to-Light Ratio of Galaxy Systems: from Poor Groups to Rich Clusters
We study the mass-to-light ratio of galaxy systems from poor groups to rich
clusters, and present for the first time a large database for useful
comparisons with theoretical predictions. We extend a previous work, where B_j
band luminosities and optical virial masses were analyzed for a sample of 89
clusters. Here we also consider a sample of 52 more clusters, 36 poor clusters,
7 rich groups, and two catalogs, of about 500 groups each, recently identified
in the Nearby Optical Galaxy sample by using two different algorithms. We
obtain the blue luminosity and virial mass for all systems considered. We
devote a large effort to establishing the homogeneity of the resulting values,
as well as to considering comparable physical regions, i.e. those included
within the virial radius. By analyzing a fiducial, combined sample of 294
systems we find that the mass increases faster than the luminosity: the linear
fit gives M\propto L_B^{1.34 \pm 0.03}, with a tendency for a steeper increase
in the low--mass range. In agreement with the previous work, our present
results are superior owing to the much higher statistical significance and the
wider dynamical range covered (about 10^{12}-10^{15} M_solar). We present a
comparison between our results and the theoretical predictions on the relation
between M/L_B and halo mass, obtained by combining cosmological numerical
simulations and semianalytic modeling of galaxy formation.Comment: 25 pages, 12 eps figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Lowering the energy threshold in COSINE-100 dark matter searches
COSINE-100 is a dark matter detection experiment that uses NaI(Tl) crystal
detectors operating at the Yangyang underground laboratory in Korea since
September 2016. Its main goal is to test the annual modulation observed by the
DAMA/LIBRA experiment with the same target medium. Recently DAMA/LIBRA has
released data with an energy threshold lowered to 1 keV, and the persistent
annual modulation behavior is still observed at 9.5. By lowering the
energy threshold for electron recoils to 1 keV, COSINE-100 annual modulation
results can be compared to those of DAMA/LIBRA in a model-independent way.
Additionally, the event selection methods provide an access to a few to sub-GeV
dark matter particles using constant rate studies. In this article, we discuss
the COSINE-100 event selection algorithm, its validation, and efficiencies near
the threshold
Optimization of Planck/LFI on--board data handling
To asses stability against 1/f noise, the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI)
onboard the Planck mission will acquire data at a rate much higher than the
data rate allowed by its telemetry bandwith of 35.5 kbps. The data are
processed by an onboard pipeline, followed onground by a reversing step. This
paper illustrates the LFI scientific onboard processing to fit the allowed
datarate. This is a lossy process tuned by using a set of 5 parameters Naver,
r1, r2, q, O for each of the 44 LFI detectors. The paper quantifies the level
of distortion introduced by the onboard processing, EpsilonQ, as a function of
these parameters. It describes the method of optimizing the onboard processing
chain. The tuning procedure is based on a optimization algorithm applied to
unprocessed and uncompressed raw data provided either by simulations, prelaunch
tests or data taken from LFI operating in diagnostic mode. All the needed
optimization steps are performed by an automated tool, OCA2, which ends with
optimized parameters and produces a set of statistical indicators, among them
the compression rate Cr and EpsilonQ. For Planck/LFI the requirements are Cr =
2.4 and EpsilonQ <= 10% of the rms of the instrumental white noise. To speedup
the process an analytical model is developed that is able to extract most of
the relevant information on EpsilonQ and Cr as a function of the signal
statistics and the processing parameters. This model will be of interest for
the instrument data analysis. The method was applied during ground tests when
the instrument was operating in conditions representative of flight. Optimized
parameters were obtained and the performance has been verified, the required
data rate of 35.5 Kbps has been achieved while keeping EpsilonQ at a level of
3.8% of white noise rms well within the requirements.Comment: 51 pages, 13 fig.s, 3 tables, pdflatex, needs JINST.csl, graphicx,
txfonts, rotating; Issue 1.0 10 nov 2009; Sub. to JINST 23Jun09, Accepted
10Nov09, Pub.: 29Dec09; This is a preprint, not the final versio
Off-line radiometric analysis of Planck/LFI data
The Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) is an array of 22
pseudo-correlation radiometers on-board the Planck satellite to measure
temperature and polarization anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background
(CMB) in three frequency bands (30, 44 and 70 GHz). To calibrate and verify the
performances of the LFI, a software suite named LIFE has been developed. Its
aims are to provide a common platform to use for analyzing the results of the
tests performed on the single components of the instrument (RCAs, Radiometric
Chain Assemblies) and on the integrated Radiometric Array Assembly (RAA).
Moreover, its analysis tools are designed to be used during the flight as well
to produce periodic reports on the status of the instrument. The LIFE suite has
been developed using a multi-layered, cross-platform approach. It implements a
number of analysis modules written in RSI IDL, each accessing the data through
a portable and heavily optimized library of functions written in C and C++. One
of the most important features of LIFE is its ability to run the same data
analysis codes both using ground test data and real flight data as input. The
LIFE software suite has been successfully used during the RCA/RAA tests and the
Planck Integrated System Tests. Moreover, the software has also passed the
verification for its in-flight use during the System Operations Verification
Tests, held in October 2008.Comment: Planck LFI technical papers published by JINST:
http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/1748-022
Planck pre-launch status: Low Frequency Instrument calibration and expected scientific performance
We give the calibration and scientific performance parameters of the Planck
Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) measured during the ground cryogenic test
campaign. These parameters characterise the instrument response and constitute
our best pre-launch knowledge of the LFI scientific performance. The LFI shows
excellent stability and rejection of instrumental systematic effects;
measured noise performance shows that LFI is the most sensitive instrument of
its kind. The set of measured calibration parameters will be updated during
flight operations through the end of the mission.Comment: Accepted for publications in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Astronomy &
Astrophysics, 2010 (acceptance date: 12 Jan 2010
- âŠ