The development of rainfall retrievals from radar at Darwin

17 USC 105 interim-entered record; under review.The article of record as published may be found at https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-53-2021The U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program Tropical Western Pacific site hosted a C-band polarization (CPOL) radar in Darwin, Australia. It provides 2 decades of tropical rainfall characteristics useful for validating global circulation models. Rainfall retrievals from radar assume characteristics about the droplet size distribution (DSD) that vary significantly. To minimize the uncertainty associated with DSD variability, new radar rainfall techniques use dual polarization and specific attenuation estimates. This study challenges the applicability of several specific attenuation and dual-polarization-based rainfall estimators in tropical settings using a 4-year archive of Darwin disdrometer datasets in conjunction with CPOL observations. This assessment is based on three metrics: statistical uncertainty estimates, principal component analysis (PCA), and comparisons of various retrievals from CPOL data. The PCA shows that the variability in R can be consistently attributed to reflectivity, but dependence on dualpolarization quantities was wavelength dependent for 1 10 mm h−1 . Rainfall estimates during these conditions primarily originate from deep convective clouds with median drop diameters greater than 1.5 mm. An uncertainty analysis and intercomparison with CPOL show that a Colorado State University blended technique for tropical oceans, with modified estimators developed from video disdrometer observations, is most appropriate for use in all cases, such as when 1 10 mm h−1 (deeper convective rain).Argonne National Laboratory’s work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, under contract DE-AC02-06CH11357. This work has been supported by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the Climate Model Development and Validation activity. NOAA PSL contributes effort with funding from the Weather Program Office’s Precipitation Prediction Grand Challenge. The development of the Python ARM radar toolkit was funded by the ARM program part of the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The work from Monash University and the Bureau of Meteorology was partly supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Systems Research Program through the grant DE-SC0014063. BD contributions are supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Systems Research Program through the grant DE-SC0017977

Analysis of Blue Corona Discharges at the Top of Tropical Thunderstorm Clouds in Different Phases of Convection

We report on observations of corona discharges at the uppermost region of clouds characterized by emissions in a blue band of nitrogen molecules at 337 nm, with little activity in the red band of lightning leaders at 777.4 nm. Past work suggests that they are generated in cloud tops reaching the tropopause and above. Here we explore their occurrence in two convective environments of the same storm: one is developing with clouds reaching above the tropopause, and one is collapsing with lower cloud tops. We focus on those discharges that form a distinct category with rise times below 20 μs, implying that they are at the very top of the clouds. The discharges are observed in both environments. The observations suggest that a range of storm environments may generate corona discharges and that they may be common in convective surges.publishedVersio

An Integrated Approach to Weather Radar Calibration and Monitoring Using Ground Clutter and Satellite Comparisons

The stability and accuracy of weather radar reflectivity calibration are imperative for quantitative applications, such as rainfall estimation, severe weather monitoring and nowcasting, and assimilation in numerical weather prediction models. Various radar calibration and monitoring techniques have been developed, but only recently have integrated approaches been proposed, that is, using different calibration techniques in combination. In this paper the following three techniques are used: 1) ground clutter monitoring, 2) comparisons with spaceborne radars, and 3) the self-consistency of polarimetric variables. These techniques are applied to a C-band polarimetric radar (CPOL) located in the Australian tropics since 1998. The ground clutter monitoring technique is applied to each radar volumetric scan and provides a means to reliably detect changes in calibration, relative to a baseline. It is remarkably stable to within a standard deviation of 0.1 dB (decibels). To obtain an absolute calibration value, CPOL observations are compared to spaceborne radars on board TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) and GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement) using a volume-matching technique. Using an iterative procedure and stable calibration periods identified by the ground echoes technique, we improve the accuracy of this technique to about 1 dB. Finally, we review the self-consistency technique and constrain its assumptions using results from the hybrid TRMM-GPM and ground echo technique. Small changes in the self-consistency parameterization can lead to 5 dB of variation in the reflectivity calibration. We find that the drop-shape model of Brandes et al. with a standard deviation of the canting angle of 12 degrees best matches our dataset

Study of the atmospheric water by active and passive microwave instrumentation

La détection des systèmes précipitants convectifs dangereux est une question de première importance pour la sécurité aérienne. Dans ce travail de thèse, nous développons des applications pour le domaine de la sécurité aérienne, en utilisant l’instrumentation micro-ondes active (radars) et passive (radiomètres) pour la détection des systèmes précipitants, et plus particulièrement les zones grêlifères, ainsi que pour la météorologie, c’est-à-dire la climatologie de la vapeur d’eau et de la réfraction anormale de la mesure radar au sol. Dans une première partie nous recherchons les configurations radars les plus adaptées pour l’observation des systèmes précipitants intenses, notamment la fréquence et la résolution angulaire, tout en imposant les contraintes de taille et poids des antennes à destination de l’aviation commerciale. Ensuite nous étudions les résultats de la technique bilongueur d'onde, inédite pour les radars aéroportés. Cette partie vise à améliorer la qualité des observations des radars aéroportés pour l’aviation civile.Dans une seconde partie, nous étudions la climatologie du cycle journalier, et de ses variations saisonnières, de la vapeur d'eau en Afrique de l'Ouest. La vapeur d'eau étant l'un des gaz atmosphériques les plus importants (effet de serre, source de rayonnement, cycle hydrologique, etc.) il est nécessaire de connaître en détail sa distribution.The detection of dangerous convective precipitating system is crucial for the civil aviation safety. In this work, we develop applications for the aviation safety by using active (radar) and passive (radiometer) microwave instrumentation in order to detect precipitating systems, notably hail area. We also develop applications for the meteorology, i.e. a climatology of water vapor and the anomalous propagation of the microwave signal that is inducted by water vapor.In the first part, we study the best configuration for civil aviation airborne radars for the observation of precipitating systems, notably the frequency and the beamwidth. We have applied the constrain on the radar antenna of civil aviation that its size and its weight. Then we study the results of the dual-wavelength technic for the detection of hailstorm. This part aims to improve the quality of the observations made by civil aviation airborne radars. In the second part, we study the climatology of the water vapor diurnal cycle, and its seasonnal variations, in West Africa. Water vapor is one of the most important atmospheric gases (greenhouse effect, radiation, hydrological cycle, etc.), it is thus necessary to know in details the water vapor distribution in the troposphere. Based on this water vapor study, we then analyse the impact of the water vapor on the air refractivity and the propagation of microwaves. A climatology of anomalous propagation has been built for the instrumentation that uses microwaves

vlouf/dealias: v0.0.1-beta

Radar Doppler velocity dealiasing technique using 3D continuity

Random generation and scaling limits of fixed genus factorizations into transpositions

We study the asymptotic behaviour of random factorizations of the n-cycle into transpositions of fixed genus g > 0. They have a geometric interpretation as branched covers of the sphere and their enumeration as Hurwitz numbers was extensively studied in algebraic combinatorics and enumerative geometry. On the probabilistic side, several models and properties of permutation factorizations were studied in previous works, in particular minimal factorizations of cycles into transpositions (which corresponds to the case g = 0 of this work). Using the representation of factorizations via unicellular maps, we first exhibit an algorithm which samples an asymptotically uniform factorization of genus g in linear time. In a second time, we code a factorization as a process of chords appearing one by one in the unit disk, and we prove the convergence (as n -> infinity) of the process associated with a uniform genus g factorization of the n-cycle. The limit process can be explicitly constructed from a Brownian excursion. Finally, we establish the convergence of a natural genus process, coding the appearance of the successive genera in the factorization

L'estimation du risque météorologique par les radars embarqués sur les avions commerciaux

A tout instant, quelque 5 000 avions de ligne, gros porteurs, sont en vol sur la plupart des régions de la planète. Leur sécurité vis-à-vis des conditions météorologiques, en particulier la présence de systèmes convectifs intenses, fortement turbulents et grêligènes, est assurée par des radars embarqués fonctionnant en bande X (fréquence 10 GHz, longueur d'onde 3,2 cm) avec une résolution spatiale médiocre et dont les micro-ondes sont fortement atténuées par les nuages et les précipitations. Cet article traite des difficultés et des contraintes auxquelles est confronté un pilote, et discute de l'impact des caractéristiques techniques des radars utilisés : comment affectent-elles la restitution des systèmes convectifs et l'estimation du risque météorologique ? On répond ici par la simulation numérique et un algorithme capable de détecter la présence de grêle est présenté. Quelques pistes sont évoquées pour l'avenir.About 5000 planes are flying at any time over most of the world's regions. Meteorological security - in presence of intense, highly-turbulent, and hail generating convective systems - is ensured by means of airborne radars operating in X-band (frequency 10 GHz,wavelength 3.2 cm) with poor spatial resolution and a strong attenuation of the microwaves by clouds and precipitation. This study addresses the difficulties and the constraints that a pilot faces, and discusses the impact of the choice of the technical characteristics of these airborne radars: how do they affect the retrieval of the convective systems and the estimation of the meteorological hazard? Numerical simulations are used and an algorithm for hail detection is presented. Some ideas for the future are presented

The Latitudinal Variability of Oceanic Rainfall Properties and Its Implication for Satellite Retrievals: 2. The Relationships Between Radar Observables and Drop Size Distribution Parameters

In this study, we develop statistical relationships between radar observables and drop size distribution properties in different latitude bands to inform radar rainfall retrieval techniques and understand underpinning microphysical reasons for differences reported in the literature between satellite mean zonal rainfall products at high latitudes (up to a factor 2 between products over ocean). A major assumption in satellite retrievals is the attenuation‐reflectivity relationships for convective and stratiform precipitation. They are found to systematically produce higher attenuation than our relationships with all latitudes included or within individual latitude bands (except in the tropics). The scatter around fitted curves approximating the radar reflectivity‐mass‐weighted diameter Dm relationship and the dual‐frequency ratio (ratio of Ka‐ to Ku‐band reflectivities)‐Dm relationships is found to be large and of the same magnitude. This result suggests that the added value of two radar frequencies to improve the Dm retrieval from space seems limited. In contrast, the relationship between Dm and the attenuation/reflectivity ratio is robust and not dependent on latitude. Direct relationships between rainfall and either reflectivity or attenuation are also found to be very robust. Attenuation‐reflectivity, Dm‐reflectivity, and rainfall rate‐reflectivity relationships in the Southern Hemisphere high latitude and Northern Hemisphere polar latitude bands are fundamentally different from those at other latitude bands, producing smaller attenuation, much larger Dm, and lower rainfall rates. This implies that specific relationships need to be used for these latitude bands in radar rainfall retrieval techniques using such relationships

The Latitudinal Variability of Oceanic Rainfall Properties and Its Implication for Satellite Retrievals: 1. Drop Size Distribution Properties

In this study, we analyze an in situ shipboard global ocean drop size distribution (DSD) 8-year database to understand the underpinning microphysical reasons for discrepancies between satellite oceanic rainfall products at high latitudes reported in the literature. The natural, latitudinal, and convective-stratiform variability of the DSD is found to be large, with a substantially lower drop concentration with diameter smaller than 3 mm in the Southern hemisphere high latitude (S-highlat, south of 45 degrees S) and Northern Hemisphere polar latitude (N-polar, north of 67.5 degrees S) bands, which is where satellite rainfall products most disagree. In contrast, the latitudinal variability of the normalized oceanic DSD is small, implying that the functional form of the normalized DSD can be assumed constant and accurately parameterized using proposed fits. The S-highlat and N-polar latitude bands stand out as regions with oceanic rainfall properties different from other latitudes, highlighting fundamental differences in rainfall processes at different latitudes and associated specific challenges for satellite rainfall retrieval techniques. The most salient differences in DSD properties between these two regions and the other latitude bands are: (1) a systematically higher (lower) frequency of occurrence of rainfall rates below (above) 1 mm h(-1), (2) much lower drop concentrations, (3) very different values of the DSD shape parameter (mu(0)) from what is currently assumed in satellite radar rainfall algorithms, and (4) very different DSD properties in both the convective and stratiform rainfall regimes. Overall, this study provides insights into how DSD assumptions in satellite radar rainfall retrieval techniques could be refined