scholarly journals Observations of Ice Crystal Habits with a Scanning Polarimetric W-Band Radar at Slant Linear Depolarization Ratio Mode

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 989-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Y. Matrosov ◽  
Gerald G. Mace ◽  
Roger Marchand ◽  
Matthew D. Shupe ◽  
Anna G. Hallar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bulk Density ◽  
Elevation Angle ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Cross Coupling ◽  
Characteristic Size ◽  
Depolarization Ratio ◽  
Aspect Ratios ◽  
W Band ◽  
Validation Experiment ◽  
Linear Depolarization Ratio

Abstract Scanning polarimetric W-band radar data were evaluated for the purpose of identifying predominant ice hydrometeor habits. Radar and accompanying cloud microphysical measurements were conducted during the Storm Peak Laboratory Cloud Property Validation Experiment held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, during the winter season of 2010/11. The observed ice hydrometeor habits ranged from pristine and rimed dendrites/stellars to aggregates, irregulars, graupel, columns, plates, and particle mixtures. The slant 45° linear depolarization ratio (SLDR) trends as a function of the radar elevation angle are indicative of the predominant hydrometeor habit/shape. For planar particles, SLDR values increase from values close to the radar polarization cross coupling of about −21.8 dB at zenith viewing to maximum values at slant viewing. These maximum values depend on predominant aspect ratio and bulk density of hydrometeors and also show some sensitivity to particle characteristic size. The highest observed SLDRs were around −8 dB for pristine dendrites. Unlike planar-type hydrometeors, columnar-type particles did not exhibit pronounced depolarization trends as a function of viewing direction. A difference in measured SLDR values between zenith and slant viewing can be used to infer predominant aspect ratios of planar hydrometeors if an assumption about their bulk density is made. For columnar hydrometeors, SLDR offsets from the cross-coupling value are indicative of aspect ratios. Experimental data were analyzed for a number of events with prevalence of planar-type hydrometeors and also for observations when columnar particles were the dominant species. A relatively simple spheroidal model and accompanying T-matrix calculations were able to approximate most radar depolarization changes with viewing angle observed for different hydrometeor types.

scholarly journals Atmospheric Ice Particle Shape Estimates from Polarimetric Radar Measurements and In Situ Observations

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 2569-2587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Y. Matrosov ◽  
Carl G. Schmitt ◽  
Maximilian Maahn ◽  
Gijs de Boer
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Particle Shape ◽  
Characteristic Size ◽  
In Situ Measurements ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
Depolarization Ratio ◽  
Suggested Approach ◽  
Aspect Ratios ◽  
Radar Measurements

AbstractA remote sensing approach to retrieve the degree of nonsphericity of ice hydrometeors using scanning polarimetric Ka-band radar measurements from a U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program cloud radar operated in an alternate transmission–simultaneous reception mode is introduced. Nonsphericity is characterized by aspect ratios representing the ratios of particle minor-to-major dimensions. The approach is based on the use of a circular depolarization ratio (CDR) proxy reconstructed from differential reflectivity ZDR and copolar correlation coefficient ρhυ linear polarization measurements. Essentially combining information contained in ZDR and ρhυ, CDR-based retrievals of aspect ratios are fairly insensitive to hydrometeor orientation if measurements are performed at elevation angles of around 40°–50°. The suggested approach is applied to data collected using the third ARM Mobile Facility (AMF3), deployed to Oliktok Point, Alaska. Aspect ratio retrievals were also performed using ZDR measurements that are more strongly (compared to CDR) influenced by hydrometeor orientation. The results of radar-based retrievals are compared with in situ measurements from the tethered balloon system (TBS)-based video ice particle sampler and the ground-based multiangle snowflake camera. The observed ice hydrometeors were predominantly irregular-shaped ice crystals and aggregates, with aspect ratios varying between approximately 0.3 and 0.8. The retrievals assume that particle bulk density influencing (besides the particle shape) observed polarimetric variables can be deduced from the estimates of particle characteristic size. Uncertainties of CDR-based aspect ratio retrievals are estimated at about 0.1–0.15. Given these uncertainties, radar-based retrievals generally agreed with in situ measurements. The advantages of using the CDR proxy compared to the linear depolarization ratio are discussed.

scholarly journals Observational and Modeling Study of Ice Hydrometeor Radar Dual-Wavelength Ratios

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (9) ◽  
pp. 2005-2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Y. Matrosov ◽  
Maximilian Maahn ◽  
Gijs de Boer
Keyword(s):  
Rayleigh Scattering ◽  
Elevation Angle ◽  
Characteristic Size ◽  
Dual Wavelength ◽  
Spherical Particles ◽  
Nonspherical Particles ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
Weather Radars ◽  
W Band ◽  
Differential Reflectivity

AbstractThe influence of ice hydrometeor shape on the dual-wavelength ratio (DWR) of radar reflectivities at millimeter-wavelength frequencies is studied theoretically and on the basis of observations. Data from dual-frequency (Ka–W bands) radar show that, for vertically pointing measurements, DWR increasing trends with reflectivity Ze are very pronounced when Ka-band Ze is greater than about 0 dBZ and that DWR and Ze values are usually well correlated. This correlation is explained by strong relations between hydrometeor characteristic size and both of these radar variables. The observed DWR variability for a given level of reflectivity is as large as 8 dB, which is in part due to changes in mean hydrometeor shape as expressed in terms of the particle aspect ratio. Hydrometeors with a higher degree of nonsphericity exhibit lower DWR values when compared with quasi-spherical particles because of near-zenith reflectivity enhancements for particles outside the Rayleigh-scattering regime. When particle mass–size relations do not change significantly (e.g., for low-rime conditions), DWR can be used to differentiate between quasi-spherical and highly nonspherical hydrometeors because (for a given reflectivity value) DWR tends to increase as particles become more spherical. Another approach for differentiating among different degrees of nonsphericity for larger scatterers is based on analyzing DWR changes as a function of radar elevation angle. These changes are more pronounced for highly nonspherical particles and can exceed 10 dB. Measurements of snowfall spatiotemporally collocated with spaceborne CloudSat W-band radar and ground-based S-band operational weather radars also indicate that DWR values are generally smaller for ice hydrometeors with higher degrees of nonsphericity, which, for the same level of S-band reflectivity, exhibit greater differential reflectivity values.

scholarly journals The TRIple-frequency and Polarimetric radar Experiment for improving process observations of winter precipitation

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 845-863 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Dias Neto ◽  
Stefan Kneifel ◽  
Davide Ori ◽  
Silke Trömel ◽  
Jan Handwerker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Doppler Radar ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Doppler Velocity ◽  
Depolarization Ratio ◽  
Frequency Space ◽  
Triple Frequency ◽  
Temperature Regimes ◽  
Linear Depolarization Ratio ◽  
Processing Steps

Abstract. This paper describes a 2-month dataset of ground-based triple-frequency (X, Ka, and W band) Doppler radar observations during the winter season obtained at the Jülich ObservatorY for Cloud Evolution Core Facility (JOYCE-CF), Germany. All relevant post-processing steps, such as re-gridding and offset and attenuation correction, as well as quality flagging, are described. The dataset contains all necessary information required to recover data at intermediate processing steps for user-specific applications and corrections (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1341389; Dias Neto et al., 2019). The large number of ice clouds included in the dataset allows for a first statistical analysis of their multifrequency radar signatures. The reflectivity differences quantified by dual-wavelength ratios (DWRs) reveal temperature regimes where aggregation seems to be triggered. Overall, the aggregation signatures found in the triple-frequency space agree with and corroborate conclusions from previous studies. The combination of DWRs with mean Doppler velocity and linear depolarization ratio enables us to distinguish signatures of rimed particles and melting snowflakes. The riming signatures in the DWRs agree well with results found in previous triple-frequency studies. Close to the melting layer, however, we find very large DWRs (up to 20 dB), which have not been reported before. A combined analysis of these extreme DWR with mean Doppler velocity and a linear depolarization ratio allows this signature to be separated, which is most likely related to strong aggregation, from the triple-frequency characteristics of melting particles.

scholarly journals Bulk-Density Representations of Branched Planar Ice Crystals: Errors in the Polarimetric Radar Variables

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Schrom ◽  
Matthew R. Kumjian
Keyword(s):  
Bulk Density ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Resonance Scattering ◽  
Ice Crystals ◽  
Model Output ◽  
Polarimetric Radar ◽  
Radar Observations ◽  
Aspect Ratios ◽  
W Band

AbstractRecent interest in interpreting polarimetric radar observations of ice and evaluating microphysical model output with these observations has highlighted the importance of accurately computing the scattering of microwave radiation by branched planar ice crystals. These particles are often represented as spheroids with uniform bulk density, reduced from that of solid ice to account for the complex, nonuniform structure of natural branched crystals. In this study, the potential errors that arise from this assumption are examined by comparing scattering calculations of branched planar crystals with those of homogeneous, reduced-density plate crystals and spheroids with the same mass, aspect ratio, and maximum dimension. The results show that this assumption leads to significant errors in backscatter cross sections at horizontal and vertical polarization, specific differential phase (KDP), and differential reflectivity (ZDR), with the largest ZDR errors for ice crystals with the most extreme aspect ratios (<0.01) and effective densities < 250 kg m−3. For example, the maximum errors in X-band ZDR are 4.5 dB for 5.6-mm branched planar crystals. However, substantial errors are present at all weather radar frequencies, with resonance scattering effects at Ka and W band amplifying the low-frequency errors. The implications of these results on the interpretation of polarimetric radar observations and forward modeling of the polarimetric radar variables from microphysical model output are discussed.

scholarly journals The TRIple-frequency and Polarimetric radar Experiment for improving process observation of winter precipitation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Dias Neto ◽  
Stefan Kneifel ◽  
Davide Ori ◽  
Silke Trömel ◽  
Jan Handwerker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Winter Season ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Doppler Velocity ◽  
Depolarization Ratio ◽  
Time Duration ◽  
Frequency Space ◽  
Triple Frequency ◽  
Linear Depolarization Ratio ◽  
Process Observation ◽  
Processing Steps

Abstract. This study describes a two-months dataset of ground-based triple-frequency (X, Ka, and W-Band) Doppler cloud radar observations during the winter season obtained at the Jülich ObservatorY for Cloud Evolution core facility (JOYCE-CF), Germany. All relevant post-processing steps, such as re-gridding, offset and attenuation correction as well as quality flagging are described. The dataset contains all information needed to recover data at intermediate processing steps for user-specific applications and corrections (DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1405539). The rather long time duration of the dataset allowed for a statistical analysis, which we focused on the ice and snow part of the cloud. The reflectivity differences quantified by dual-wavelength ratios revealed temperature regimes, where aggregation seems to be triggered. Overall, the aggregation signatures found in the triple-frequency space agree with and corroborate conclusions from previous studies. Combining the information from reflectivity information with mean Doppler velocity and linear depolarization ratio, enables us to distinguish signatures of rimed particles and melting snowflakes; while the riming signatures agree well with results from previous studies, we find very strong aggregation signatures close to the melting layer, which have not been reported before. Mean Doppler velocity and the linear depolarization ratio have been used to separate the extreme aggregation signature from the triple-frequency characteristics of melting particles.

Enhanced Radar Backscattering due to Oriented Ice Particles at 95 GHz during StormVEx

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 2336-2351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Marchand ◽  
Gerald G. Mace ◽  
A. Gannet Hallar ◽  
Ian B. McCubbin ◽  
Sergey Y. Matrosov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Error ◽  
Elevation Angle ◽  
Water Layer ◽  
Particle Orientation ◽  
Depolarization Ratio ◽  
Cloud Particle ◽  
Enhanced Backscattering ◽  
Ice Particles ◽  
Validation Experiment ◽  
Radar Backscattering

Abstract Nonspherical atmospheric ice particles can enhance radar backscattering and attenuation above that expected from spheres of the same mass. An analysis of scanning 95-GHz radar data collected during the Storm Peak Laboratory Cloud Property Validation Experiment (StormVEx) shows that at a least a small amount of enhanced backscattering was present in most radar scans, with a median enhancement of 2.4 dB at zenith. This enhancement will cause an error (bias) in ice water content (IWC) retrievals that neglect particle orientation, with a value of 2.4 dB being roughly equivalent to a relative error in IWC of 43%. Of the radar scans examined, 25% had a zenith-enhanced backscattering exceeding 3.5 dB (equivalent to a relative error in IWC in excess of 67%) and 10% of the scans had a zenith-enhanced backscattering exceeding 6.4 dB (equivalent to a relative error in IWC in excess of 150%). Cloud particle images indicate that large enhancement typically occurred when planar crystals (e.g., plates and dendrites) were present, with the largest enhancement occurring when large planar crystals were falling out of a supercooled liquid-water layer. More modest enhancement was sometimes due to planar crystals, but it was also sometimes likely a result of horizontally oriented nonspherical irregularly shaped particles. The analysis also shows there is a strong correlation (about −0.79) between the change in slant 45° depolarization ratio with radar scan elevation angle and the magnitude of the zenith-enhanced backscattering, suggesting that measurements of the slant depolarization ratio can be used to improve radar-based cloud microphysical property retrievals.

scholarly journals Benefit of depolarization ratio at λ = 1064 nm for the retrieval of the aerosol microphysics from lidar measurements

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 3773-3781 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gasteiger ◽  
V. Freudenthaler
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Mass Concentration ◽  
Volcanic Ash ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Depolarization Ratio ◽  
Complex Relation ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Lidar Measurements ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Linear Depolarization Ratio

Abstract. A better quantification of aerosol properties is required for improving the modelling of aerosol effects on weather and climate. This task is methodologically demanding due to the diversity of the microphysical properties of aerosols and the complex relation between their microphysical and optical properties. Advanced lidar systems provide spatially and temporally resolved information on the aerosol optical properties that is sufficient for the retrieval of important aerosol microphysical properties. Recently, the mass concentration of transported volcanic ash, which is relevant for the flight safety of aeroplanes, was retrieved from measurements of such lidar systems in southern Germany. The relative uncertainty of the retrieved mass concentration was on the order of ±50%. The present study investigates improvements of the retrieval accuracy when the capability of measuring the linear depolarization ratio at 1064 nm is added to the lidar setup. The lidar setups under investigation are based on those of MULIS and POLIS of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich (Germany) which measure the linear depolarization ratio at 355 and 532 nm with high accuracy. The improvements are determined by comparing uncertainties from retrievals applied to simulated measurements of this lidar setup with uncertainties obtained when the depolarization at 1064 nm is added to this setup. The simulated measurements are based on real lidar measurements of transported Eyjafjallajökull volcano ash. It is found that additional 1064 nm depolarization measurements significantly reduce the uncertainty of the retrieved mass concentration and effective particle size. This significant improvement in accuracy is the result of the increased sensitivity of the lidar setup to larger particles. The size dependence of the depolarization does not vary strongly with refractive index, thus we expect similar benefits for the retrieval in case of measurements of other volcanic ash compositions and also for transported desert dust. For the retrieval of the single scattering albedo, which is relevant to the radiative transfer in aerosol layers, no significant improvements were found.

scholarly journals Benefit of depolarization ratio at λ = 1064 nm for the retrieval of the aerosol microphysics from lidar measurements

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 5095-5115
Author(s):  
J. Gasteiger ◽  
V. Freudenthaler
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Mass Concentration ◽  
Single Scattering ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Depolarization Ratio ◽  
Aerosol Composition ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Lidar Measurements ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Linear Depolarization Ratio

Abstract. A better quantification of aerosol microphysical and optical properties is required to improve the modelling of aerosol effects on weather and climate. This task is methodologically demanding due to the huge diversity of aerosol composition and of their shape and size distribution, and due to the complexity of the relation between the microphysical and optical properties. Lidar remote sensing is a valuable tool to gain spatially and temporally resolved information on aerosol properties. Advanced lidar systems provide sufficient information on the aerosol optical properties for the retrieval of important aerosol microphysical properties. Recently, the mass concentration of transported volcanic ash, which is relevant for the flight safety of airplanes, was retrieved from measurements of such lidar systems in Southern Germany. The relative uncertainty of the retrieved mass concentration was on the order of ±50%. The present study investigates improvements of the retrieval accuracy when the capability of measuring the linear depolarization ratio at 1064 nm is added to the lidar setup. The lidar setups under investigation are based on the setup of MULIS and POLIS of the LMU in Munich which measure the linear depolarization ratio at 355 nm and 532 nm with high accuracy. By comparing results of retrievals applied to simulated lidar measurements with and without the depolarization at 1064 nm it is found that the availability of 1064 nm depolarization measurements reduces the uncertainty of the retrieved mass concentration and effective particle size by a factor of about 2–3. This significant improvement in accuracy is the result of the increased sensitivity of the lidar setup to larger particles. However, the retrieval of the single scattering albedo, which is relevant for the radiative transfer in aerosol layers, does hardly benefit from the availability of 1064 nm depolarization measurements.

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