Sources of errors in rainfall measurements by polarimetric radar: Variability of drop size distributions, observational noise, and variation of relationships between R and polarimetric parameters

Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology

Volumn 23, Issue 8, 2006, Pages 1005-1028

  Lee, GyuWon ^a  

^a MCGILL UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ALGORITHMS; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; METEOROLOGICAL RADAR; POLARIMETERS; RADAR MEASUREMENT;

DROP SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS; LOCAL CLIMATE; POLARIMETRIC RADAR; RAINFALL MEASUREMENTS;

RAIN;

ALGORITHMS; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; METEOROLOGICAL RADAR; POLARIMETERS; RADAR MEASUREMENT; RAIN;

ERROR ANALYSIS; MEASUREMENT METHOD; RADAR; RAINFALL;

EID: 33747892301     PISSN: 07390572     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1175/JTECH1899.1     Document Type: Article

References (64)

1. Andsager, K., K. Beard, and N. F. Laird, 1999: Laboratory measurements of axis ratios for large raindrops. J. Atmos. Sci., 56, 2673-2683.
2. Auf der Maur, A.N., 2001: Statiscal tools for drop size distributions: Moments and generalized gamma. J. Atmos. Sci., 58, 407-418
3. Balakrishnan, N.,D.S. Zrnic, J. Goldhirsh, and J. Rowland, 1989: Comparison of simulated rain rates from disdrometer data employing polarimetric radar algorithms. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 6, 476-486.
4. Battan, L. J., 1973: Radar Observation of the Atmosphere. University of Chicago Press, 324 pp.
5. Bevington, P. R., 1969: Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical Sciences. McGraw-Hill, 336 pp.
6. Brandes, E. A., G. Zhang, and J. Vivekanandan, 2003: An evaluation of a drop distribution-based polarimetric radar rainfall estimator. J. Appl. Meteor., 42, 652-660.
7. Bringi, V. N., V. Chandrasekar, N. Balakrishnan, and D. S. Zrnic, 1990: An examination of propagation effects in rainfall on radar measurements at microwave frequencies. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 7, 829-840.
8. Bringi, V.N., V. Chandrasekar, D. Zrnic, and C. W. Ulbrich, 2003: Comments on "The need to represent raindrop size spectra as normalized gamma distributions for the interpretation of polarization radar observations." J. Appl. Meteor., 42, 1184-1189.
9. Campos, E., and I. Zawadzki, 2000: Instrumental uncertainties in Z-R relations. J. Appl. Meteor., 39, 1088-1102.
10. Chandrasekar, V., and V. N. Bringi, 1987: Simulation of radar reflectivity and surface measurements of rainfall. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 4, 464-478.
11. Chandrasekar, V., and V. N. Bringi, 1988: Error structure of multiparameter radar and surface measurements of rainfall. Part I: Differential reflectivity. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 5, 783-795.
12. Chandrasekar, V., V. N. Bringi, N. Balakrishnan, and D. S. Zrnic, 1990: Error structure of multiparameter radar and surface measurements of rainfall. Part III: Specific differential phase. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 7, 621-629.
13. Chandrasekar, V., E. Gorgucci, and G. Scarchilli, 1993: Optimization of multiparameter radar estimates of rainfall. J. Appl. Meteor., 32, 1288-1293.
14. Ciach, G. J., and W. F. Krajewski, 1999: Radar-rain gauge comparisons under observational uncertainties. J. Appl. Meteor., 38, 1519-1525.
15. Ciach, G. J., M. L. Morrissey, and W. F. Krajewski, 2000: Conditional bias in radar rainfall estimation. J. Appl. Meteor., 39, 1941-1946.
16. Doviak, R. J., and D. S. Zrnic, 1993: Doppler Radar and Weather Observations. Academic Press, 562 pp.
17. Doviak, R. J., V. Bringi, A. Ryzhkov, A. Zahrai, and D. Zrnic, 2000: Considerations for polarimetric upgrades to operational WSR-88D radars. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 17, 257-278.
18. Gingras, Y., E. Torlaschi, and I. Zawadzki, 1997: A theoretical comparison between staggered and simultaneous H/V sampling in dual-polarization radar. Preprints, 28th Conf. on Radar Meteorology, Austin, TX, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 23-24.
19. Goddard, J. W., K. L. Morgan, A. J. Illingworth, and H. Sauvageot, 1995: Dual-wavelength polarization measurements in precipitation using the camera and Rabelais radars. Preprints, 27th Conf. on Radar Meteorology, Vail, CO, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 196-198.
20. Gorgucci, E., V. Chandrasekar, and G. Scarchilli, 1995: Radar and surface measurement of rainfall during CaPE: 26 July 1991 case study. J. Appl. Meteor., 34, 1570-1577.
21. Gorgucci, E., G. Scarchilli, and V. Chandrasekar, 2000: Practical aspects of radar rainfall estimation using specific differential propagation phase. J. Appl. Meteor., 39, 945-955.
22. Gorgucci, E., V. Chandrasekar, V. N. Bringi, and G. Scarchilli, 2002: Estimation of raindrop size distribution parameters from polarimetric radar measurements. J. Atmos. Sci., 59, 2373-2384.
23. Green, A. W., 1975: An approximation for the shapes of large rain-drops. J. Appl. Meteor., 14, 1578-1583.
24. Gunn, R., and G. D. Kinzer, 1949: The terminal velocity of fall for water droplets in stagnant air. J. Meteor., 6, 243-248.
25. Illingworth, A. J., and T. M. Blackman, 2002: The need to represent raindrop size spectra as normalized gamma distributions for the interpretation of polarization radar observations. J. Appl. Meteor., 41, 286-297.
26. Jameson, A. R., 1994: An alternative approach to estimate rainfall rate by radar using propagation differential phase shift. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 11, 122-139.
27. Joss, J., and I. Zawadzki, 1997: Raindrop size distribution again? Preprints, 28th Conf. on Radar Meteorology, Austin, TX, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 326-327.
28. Keenan, T. D., L. D. Carey, D. S. Zrnic, and P. T. May, 2001: Sensitivity of 5-cm wavelength polarimetric radar variables to raindrop axial ratio and drop size distribution. J. Appl. Meteor., 40, 526-545.
29. Lee, G. W., 2003: Errors in rain measurement by radar: Effect of variability of drop size distributions. Ph.D. thesis, McGill University, 279 pp. [Available online at http://www.radar.mcgill.ca/~gwlee/PAPERS/ THESIS_2003/thesis_gwlee_ingle.pdf.]
30. Lee, G. W., and I. Zawadzki, 2005a: Variability of drop size distributions: Noise and noise filtering in disdrometric data. J. Appl. Meteor., 44, 634-652.
31. Lee, G. W., and I. Zawadzki, 2005b: Variability of drop size distributions: Time-scale dependence of the variability and its effects on rain estimation. J. Appl. Meteor., 44, 241-255.
32. Lee, G. W., and I. Zawadzki, 2005c: Radar calibration by gage, disdrometer, and polarimetry: Theoretical limit caused by the variability of drop size distribution and application to fast scanning operational radar data. J. Hydrol., in press.
33. Lee, G. W., I. Zawadzki, W. Szymer, D. Sempere-Torres, and R. Uijlenhoet, 2004: A general approach to double-moment normalization of drop size distributions. J. Appl. Meteor., 43, 264-281.
34. Liu, H. P., and V. Chandrasekar, 2000: Classification of hydrometeors based on polarimetric radar measurements: Development of fuzzy logic and neuro-fuzzy systems, and in situ verification. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 17, 140-164,
35. Marshall, J. S., and W. McK. Palmer, 1948: The distribution of raindrops with size. J. Meteor., 5, 165-166.
36. Miriovsky, B. J., and Coauthors, 2004: An experimental study of small-scale variability of radar reflectivity using disdrometer observations. J. Appl. Meteor., 43, 106-118.
37. Mishchenko, M. I., J. W. Hovenier, and L. D. Travis, 2000: Light Scattering by Nonspherical Particles. Academic Press, 690 pp.
38. Montero-Martinez, G,, and F. Garcia-Garcia, 2004: Multipeak raindrop spectra observations from convective showers in Mexico. Preprints, 14th Int. Conf on Clouds and Precipitation, Bologna, Italy, International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS), 604-607.
39. Pruppacher, H. R., and K. V. Beard, 1970: A wind tunnel investigation of the internal circulation and shape of water drops falling at terminal velocity in air. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 96, 247-256.
40. Ryzhkov, A. V., and D. S. Zrnic, 1995: Comparison of dual-polarization radar estimators of rain. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 12, 249-256.
41. Ryzhkov, A. V., and D. S. Zrnic, 1998: Discrimination between rain and snow with a polarimetric radar. J. Appl. Meteor., 37, 1228-1240.
42. Ryzhkov, A. V., S. E. Giangrande, and T. J. Schuur, 2005; Rainfall estimation with a polarimetric prototype of WSR-88D. J. Appl. Meteor., 44, 502-515.
43. Sachidananda, M., and D. S. Zrnic, 1987: Rain rate estimates from differential polarization measurements. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 4, 588-598.
44. Salles, C., and J.-D. Creutin, 2003: Instrumental uncertainties in Z-R relationships and raindrop fall velocities. J. Appl. Meteor., 42, 279-290.
45. Sauvageot, H., and J.-P. Lacaux, 1995: The shape of averaged drop size distributions. J. Atmos. Sci., 52, 1070-1083.
46. Sekhon, R. S., and R. C. Srivastava, 1971: Doppler radar observations of drop-size distributions in a thunderstorm. J. Atmos. Sci., 28, 983-994.
47. Seliga, T. A., and V. N. Bringi, 1976: Potential use of radar differential reflectivity measurements at orthogonal polarizations for measuring precipitation. J. Appl. Meteor., 15, 69-76.
48. Seliga, T. A., K. Aydin, and H. Direskeneli, 1986: Disdrometer measurements during an intense rainfall events in central Illinois: Implications for differential reflectivity radar observations. J. Climate Appl. Meteor., 25, 835-846.
49. Sheppard, B. E., 1990: Measurement of raindrop size distribution using a small Doppler radar. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 7, 255-268.
50. Sheppard, B. E., 2006: Sampling errors in the measurement of rainfall parameters using the precipitation occurrence sensor system (POSS). J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., in press.
51. Sheppard, B. E., and P. I. Joe, 1994: Comparison of raindrop size distribution measurements by a Joss-Waldvogel disdrometer, a PMS 2DG spectrometer, and a POSS Doppler radar. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 11, 874-887.
52. Smith, P. L., 1964: Interpretation of the fluctuating echo from randomly distributed scatterers. Part 3. Stormy Weather Group, McGill University, Rep. MW-39, 70 pp.
53. Smith, P. L., L. Zhong, and J. Joss, 1993: A study of sampling-variability effects in raindrop size observations. J. Appl. Meteor., 32, 1259-1269.
54. Testud, J., S. Oury, R. A. Black, P. Amayenc, and X. Dou, 2001: The concept of "normalized" distribution to describe raindrop spectra: A tool for cloud physics and cloud remote sensing. J. Appl. Meteor., 40, 1118-1140.
55. Torlaschi, E., and I. Zawadzki, 2003: The effect of mean and differential attenuation on the precision and accuracy of the estimates of reflectivity and differential reflectivity. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 20, 362-371.
56. Uijlenhoet, R., 1999: Parameterization of Rainfall Microstructure for Radar Meteorology and Hydrology. Ph.D. dissertation, Wageningen University, 279 pp.
57. Uijlenhoet, R., J. A. Smith, and M. Steiner, 2003: The microphysical structure of extreme precipitation as inferred from ground-based raindrop spectra. J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 1220-1238.
58. Ulbrich, C. W., 1983: Natural variations in the analytical form of the raindrop size distribution. J. Climate Appl. Meteor., 22, 1764-1775.
59. Vivekanandan, J., D. S. Zrnic, S. M. Ellis, R. Oye, A. V. Ryzhkov, and J. Straka, 1999: Cloud microphysics retrieval using S-band dual-polarization radar measurements. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 80, 381-388.
60. O jump of raindrop spectra. J. Atmos. Sci., 31, 1067-1078.
61. Willis, P. T., 1984: Functional fits to some observed drop size distributions and parameterization of rain. J. Atmos. Sci., 41, 1648-1661.
62. Zawadzki, I., and G. W. Lee, 2004: The physical causes of the variability of drop size distributions. Preprints, 14th Int. Conf. on Clouds and Precipitation, Bologna, Italy, The International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS), 698-701.
63. Zawadzki, I., A. Bellon, C. Cote, and F. Fabry, 2001: Target identification by dual-polarization radar in an operational environment. Preprints, 30th Conf. on Radar Meteorology, Munich, Germany, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 165-167.
64. Zrnic, D. S., T. D. Keenan, L. D. Carey, and P. May, 2000: Sensitivity analysis of polarimetric variables at a 5-cm wavelength in rain. J. Appl. Meteor., 39, 1514-1526.