scholarly journals Precipitation Classification and Quantification Using X-Band Dual-Polarization Weather Radar: Application in the Hydrometeorology Testbed

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 2108-2120 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Lim ◽  
R. Cifelli ◽  
V. Chandrasekar ◽  
S. Y. Matrosov

Abstract This paper presents new methods for rainfall estimation from X-band dual-polarization radar observations along with advanced techniques for quality control, hydrometeor classification, and estimation of specific differential phase. Data collected from the Hydrometeorology Testbed (HMT) in orographic terrain of California are used to demonstrate the methodology. The quality control and hydrometeor classification are specifically developed for X-band applications, which use a “fuzzy logic” technique constructed from the magnitude of the copolar correlation coefficient and the texture of differential propagation phase. In addition, an improved specific differential phase retrieval and rainfall estimation method are also applied. The specific differential phase estimation is done for both the melting region and rain region, where it uses a conventional filtering method for the melting region and a self-consistency-based method that distributes the total differential phase consistent with the reflectivity factor for the rain region. Based on the specific differential phase, rainfall estimations were computed using data obtained from the NOAA polarimetric X-band radar for hydrometeorology (HYDROX) and evaluated using HMT rain gauge observations. The results show that the methodology works well at capturing the high-frequency rainfall variations for the events analyzed herein and can be useful for mountainous terrain applications.

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-A Oh ◽  
DaeHyung Lee ◽  
Sung-Hwa Jung ◽  
Kyung-Yeub Nam ◽  
GyuWon Lee

The effects of attenuation correction in rainfall estimation with X-band dual-polarization radar were investigated with a dense rain gauge network. The calibration bias in reflectivity (ZH) was corrected using a self-consistency principle. The attenuation correction ofZHand the differential reflectivity (ZDR) were performed by a path integration method. After attenuation correction,ZHandZDRwere significantly improved, and their scatter plots matched well with the theoretical relationship betweenZHandZDR. The comparisons between the radar rainfall estimation and the rain gauge rainfall were investigated using the bulk statistics with different temporal accumulations and spatial averages. The bias significantly improves from 70% to 0% withR(ZH). However, the improvement withR(ZH,ZDR)was relatively small, from 3% to 1%. This indicated that rainfall estimation using a polarimetric variable was more robust at attenuation than was a single polarimetric variable method. The bias did not show improvement in comparisons between the temporal accumulations or the spatial averages in either rainfall estimation method. However, the random error improved from 68% to 25% with different temporal accumulations or spatial averages. This result indicates that temporal accumulation or spatial average (aggregation) is important to reduce random error.


2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keon-Haeng Lee ◽  
◽  
Sanghun Lim ◽  
Bong-Joo Jang ◽  
Dong-Ryul Lee

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 119
Author(s):  
Chao Wang ◽  
Chong Wu ◽  
Liping Liu ◽  
Xi Liu ◽  
Chao Chen

The values of ratio a of the linear relationship between specific attenuation and specific differential phase vary significantly in convective storms as a result of resonance scattering. The best-linear-fit ratio a at X band is determined using the modified attenuation correction algorithm based on differential phase and attenuation, as well as the premise that reflectivity is unattenuated in S band radar detection. Meanwhile, the systemic reflectivity bias between the X band radar and S band radar and water layer attenuation (ZW) on the wet antenna cover of the X band radar are also considered. The good performance of the modified correction algorithm is demonstrated in a moderate rainfall event. The data were collected by four X band dual-polarization (X-POL) radar sites, namely, BJXCP, BJXFS, BJXSY, and BJXTZ, and a China’s New Generation Weather Radar (CINRAD/SA radar) site, BJSDX, in Beijing on 20 July 2016. Ratio a is calculated for each volume scan of the X band radar, with a mean value of 0.26 dB deg−1 varying from 0.20 to 0.31 dB deg−1. The average values of systemic reflectivity bias between the X band radar (at BJXCP, BJXFS, BJXSY, and BJXTZ) and S band radar (at BJSDX) are 0, −3, 2, and 0 dB, respectively. The experimentally determined ZW is in substantial agreement with the theoretically calculated ones, and their values are an order of magnitude smaller than rain attenuation. The comparison of the modified attenuation correction algorithm and the empirical-fixed-ratio correction algorithm is further evaluated at the X-POL radar. It is shown that the modified attenuation correction algorithm in the present paper provides higher correction accuracy for rain attenuation than the empirical-fixed-ratio correction algorithm.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 5897-5911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cuong M. Nguyen ◽  
Mengistu Wolde ◽  
Alexei Korolev

Abstract. This paper presents a methodology for ice water content (IWC) retrieval from a dual-polarization side-looking X-band airborne radar. Measured IWC from aircraft in situ probes is weighted by a function of the radar differential reflectivity (Zdr) to reduce the effects of ice crystal shape and orientation on the variation in IWC – specific differential phase (Kdp) joint distribution. A theoretical study indicates that the proposed method, which does not require a knowledge of the particle size distribution (PSD) and number density of ice crystals, is suitable for high-ice-water-content (HIWC) regions in tropical convective clouds. Using datasets collected during the High Altitude Ice Crystals – High Ice Water Content (HAIC-HIWC) international field campaign in Cayenne, French Guiana (2015), it is shown that the proposed method improves the estimation bias by 35 % and increases the correlation by 4 % on average, compared to the method using specific differential phase (Kdp) alone.


2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Cifelli ◽  
V. Chandrasekar ◽  
S. Lim ◽  
P. C. Kennedy ◽  
Y. Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract The efficacy of dual-polarization radar for quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) has been demonstrated in a number of previous studies. Specifically, rainfall retrievals using combinations of reflectivity (Zh), differential reflectivity (Zdr), and specific differential phase (Kdp) have advantages over traditional Z–R methods because more information about the drop size distribution (DSD) and hydrometeor type are available. In addition, dual-polarization-based rain-rate estimators can better account for the presence of ice in the sampling volume. An important issue in dual-polarization rainfall estimation is determining which method to employ for a given set of polarimetric observables. For example, under what circumstances does differential phase information provide superior rain estimates relative to methods using reflectivity and differential reflectivity? At Colorado State University (CSU), an optimization algorithm has been developed and used for a number of years to estimate rainfall based on thresholds of Zh, Zdr, and Kdp. Although the algorithm has demonstrated robust performance in both tropical and midlatitude environments, results have shown that the retrieval is sensitive to the selection of the fixed thresholds. In this study, a new rainfall algorithm is developed using hydrometeor identification (HID) to guide the choice of the particular rainfall estimation algorithm. A separate HID algorithm has been developed primarily to guide the rainfall application with the hydrometeor classes, namely, all rain, mixed precipitation, and all ice. Both the data collected from the S-band Colorado State University–University of Chicago–Illinois State Water Survey (CSU–CHILL) radar and a network of rain gauges are used to evaluate the performance of the new algorithm in mixed rain and hail in Colorado. The evaluation is also performed using an algorithm similar to the one developed for the Joint Polarization Experiment (JPOLE). Results show that the new CSU HID-based algorithm provides good performance for the Colorado case studies presented here.


1995 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 404-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Aydin ◽  
V. N. Bringi ◽  
L. Liu

Abstract Multiparameter radar measurements were made during a heavy rainfall event accompanied by hail in Colorado. Rainfall rates R and accumulation Σ for this event were estimated using S-band specific differential phase KDP, reflectivity factor ZH, and X-band specific attenuation AH3. These estimates were compared with measurements from a ground-based rain gauge. Both R–KDP and R–AH3 relations were in good agreement with the rain gauge data, that is, less than 10% difference in the rainfall accumulations. The R–Z relation produced similar results only when ZH was truncated at 55 dBZ. This study demonstrates the potential of KDP for estimating rainfall rates in severe storms that may have rain-hail mixtures.


2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanouil N. Anagnostou ◽  
Mircea Grecu ◽  
Marios N. Anagnostou

Abstract The Keys Area Microphysics Project (KAMP), conducted as part of NASA’s Fourth Convective and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX-4) in the lower Keys area, deployed a number of ground radars and four arrays of rain gauge and disdrometer clusters. Among the various instruments is an X-band dual-polarization Doppler radar on wheels (XPOL), contributed by the University of Connecticut. XPOL was used to retrieve rainfall rate and raindrop size distribution (DSD) parameters to be used in support of KAMP science objectives. This paper presents the XPOL measurements in KAMP and the algorithm developed for attenuation correction and estimation of DSD model parameters. XPOL observations include the horizontal polarization reflectivity ZH, differential reflectivity ZDR, and differential phase shift ΦDP. Here, ZH and ZDR were determined to be positively biased by 3 and 0.3 dB, respectively. A technique was also applied to filter noise and correct for potential phase folding in ΦDP profiles. The XPOL attenuation correction uses parameterizations that relate the path-integrated specific (differential) attenuation along a radar ray to the filtered-ΦDP (specific attenuation) profile. Attenuation-corrected ZH and specific differential phase shift (derived from filtered ΦDP profiles) data are then used to derive two parameters of the normalized gamma DSD model, that is, intercept (Nw) and mean drop diameter (D0). The third parameter (shape parameter μ) is calculated using a constrained μ–Λ relationship derived from the measured raindrop spectra. The XPOL attenuation correction is evaluated using coincidental nonattenuated reflectivity fields from the Key West Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D), while the DSD parameter retrievals are statistically assessed using DSD parameters calculated from the measured raindrop spectra. Statistics show that XPOL DSD parameter estimation is consistent with independent observations. XPOL estimates of water content and Nw are also shown to be consistent with corresponding retrievals from matched ER-2 Doppler radar (EDOP) profiling observations from the 19 September airborne campaign. Results shown in this paper strengthen the applicability of X-band dual-polarization high resolution observations in cloud modeling and precipitation remote sensing studies.


2012 ◽  
Vol 51 (11) ◽  
pp. 1950-1959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan Ruzanski ◽  
V. Chandrasekar

AbstractShort-term automated forecasting (nowcasting) of precipitation has traditionally been done using radar reflectivity data; recent research, however, indicates that using specific differential phase Kdp has several advantages over using reflectivity for estimating rainfall. This paper presents an evaluation of the characteristics of nowcasting Kdp-based rainfall fields using the Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere Kdp estimation and nowcasting methods applied to approximately 42 h of X-band radar network data. The results show that Kdp-based rainfall fields exhibit lifetimes of ~17 min as compared with ~15 min for rainfall fields derived from reflectivity Zh in a continuous (cross correlation based) sense. Categorical (skill score based) lifetimes of ~26 min were observed for Kdp-based rainfall fields as compared with ~30 min for Zh-based rainfall fields. Radar–rain gauge verification showed that Kdp-based rainfall estimates consistently outperformed Zh-based estimates out to a lead time of 30 min, but the difference between the two estimators decreased in terms of normalized standard error with increasing lead time.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 3528
Author(s):  
S. Lim

It is essential to accurately estimate rainfall to predict and prevent hydrological disasters such as floods. In this paper, an electromagnetic wave rain gauge system and a method to estimate average rainfall using the system’s multiple elevation observation data are presented. The compact electromagnetic wave rain gauge is a small-sized radar that performs very short-range observations using K-band dual-polarization technology. The method to estimate average rainfall is based on the concept of an average observation derived from multiple elevation scans with very short range and dual-polarization information. The proposed method was evaluated by comparing it with ground instruments, including a pit-gauge, tipping-bucket rain gauges, and a Parsivel disdrometer. The evaluation results demonstrated that the new methodology worked fairly well for various rainfall events.


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