A Comparison of Convective and Stratiform Precipitation Microphysics of the Record-Breaking Typhoon In-Fa (2021)

In July 2021, Typhoon In-Fa attacked eastern China and broke many records for extreme precipitation over the last century. Such an unrivaled impact results from In-Fa’s slow moving speed and long residence time due to atmospheric circulations. With the supports of 66 networked surface disdrometers over eastern China and collaborative observations from the advanced GPM satellite, we are able to reveal the unique precipitation microphysical properties of the record-breaking Typhoon In-Fa (2021). After separating the typhoon precipitation into convective and stratiform types and comparing the drop size distribution (DSD) properties of Typhoon In-Fa with other typhoons from different climate regimes, it is found that typhoon precipitation shows significant internal differences as well as regional differences in terms of DSD-related parameters, such as mass-weighted mean diameter (Dm), normalized intercept parameter (Nw), radar reflectivity (Z), rain rate (R), and intercept, shape, and slope parameters (N0, µ, Λ). Comparing different rain types inside Typhoon In-Fa, convective rain (Nw ranging from 3.80 to 3.96 mm−1 m−3) shows higher raindrop concentration than stratiform rain (Nw ranging from 3.40 to 3.50 mm−1 m−3) due to more graupels melting into liquid water while falling. Large raindrops occupy most of the region below the melting layer in convective rain due to a dominant coalescence process of small raindrops (featured by larger ZKu, Dm, and smaller N0, µ, Λ), while small raindrops account for a considerable proportion in stratiform rain, reflecting a significant collisional breakup process of large raindrops (featured by smaller ZKu, Dm, and larger N0, µ, Λ). Compared with other typhoons in Hainan and Taiwan, the convective precipitation of Typhoon In-Fa shows a larger (smaller) raindrop concentration than that of Taiwan (Hainan), while smaller raindrop diameter than both Hainan and Taiwan. Moreover, the typhoon convective precipitation measured in In-Fa is more maritime-like than precipitation in Taiwan. Based on a great number of surface disdrometer observational data, the GPM precipitation products were further validated for both rain types, and a series of native quantitative precipitation estimation relations, such as Z–R and R–Dm relations were derived to improve the typhoon rainfall retrieval for both ground-based radar and spaceborne radar.

End to end simulator for the WIVERN W-band Doppler conically scanning spaceborne radar

The WIVERN (WInd VElocity Radar Nephoscope) mission, soon entering in Phase-0 of the ESA Earth Explorer program, promises to complement Doppler wind lidar by globally observing, for the first time, vertical profiles of winds in cloudy areas. This work describes an end to end simulator of the WIVERN conically scanning 94 GHz Doppler radar, the only payload of the mission. Specific features of the simulator are: the conically scanning geometry; the inclusion of cross-polarization effects and of the simulation of a radiometric mode; the applicability to global cloud model outputs via an orbital model; the incorporation of a mispointing model accounting for thermo-elastic distortions, microvibrations, star-trackers uncertainties, etc.; the inclusion of the surface clutter. Some of the simulator capabilities are showcased for a case study involving a full rotational scan of the instrument. The simulator represents a very useful tool for studying the performances of the WIVERN concept and possible trade-offs for the different configurations (e.g. different antenna sizes, pulse lengths, antenna patterns, .....). Thanks to its modular structure the simulator can be easily adapted to different orbits, different scanning geometries and different frequencies.

Three-way Calibration Checks Using Ground-Based, Ship-Based and Spaceborne Radars

This study uses weather radar observations collected from Research Vessel Investigator to evaluate the Australian weather radar network calibration monitoring technique that uses spaceborne radar observations from the NASA Global Precipitation Mission (GPM). Quantitative operational applications such as rainfall and hail nowcasting require a calibration accuracy of 1 dB for radars of the Australian network covering capital cities. Seven ground-based radars along the coast and the ship-based OceanPOL radar are first calibrated independently using GPM radar overpasses over a 3-month period. The calibration difference between the OceanPOL radar and each of the 7 operational radars is then estimated using collocated, gridded, radar observations to evaluate the accuracy of the GPM technique. For all seven radars the calibration difference with the ship radar lies within ±0.5 dB, therefore fulfilling the 1 dB requirement. This result validates the concept of using the GPM spaceborne radar observations to calibrate national weather radar networks (provided that the spaceborne radar maintains a high calibration accuracy). The analysis of the day-to-day and hourly variability of calibration differences between the OceanPOL and Darwin (Berrimah) radars also demonstrates that quantitative comparisons of gridded radar observations can accurately track daily and hourly calibration differences between pairs of operational radars with overlapping coverage (daily and hourly standard deviations of ~ 0.3 dB and ~ 1 dB, respectively).

Detection of the Lunar Surface Soil Permittivity with Megahertz Electromagnetic Wave

In this paper, the detection of the lunar surface soil permittivity with megahertz electromagnetic (EM) waves by spaceborne radar is studied based on the EM scattering theory, the Boltzmann–Shukla equations, and the improved scattering matrix method (ISMM). The reflection characteristics of the lunar surface soil subject to megahertz waves are analyzed through the EM scattering theory and expressed by the lunar surface soil permittivity. Then, the lunar ionosphere is assumed to be composed of dusty plasma, and its EM characteristics are described with the Boltzmann–Shukla equations. Finally, the transmission and reflection characteristics of the propagation of EM waves in the lunar ionosphere are numerically calculated with ISMM. Thus, the complex permittivity of lunar surface soil is obtained. In addition, the effects of detection environment situations, such as the lunar illumination intensity, characteristics of the lunar dust and dust charging process in the lunar ionosphere, on the amplitude and phase of EM waves are also investigated in this study. The simulation results show that an EM wave at a high frequency induces a strong effective wave with a stable phase shift and a significantly small interferential wave. Moreover, the lunar illumination is more effective under EM waves in low frequency bands; the characteristics of the lunar dust have a notable influence on the transmission and absorption coefficients of the effective waves. These conclusions help in real applications involving the detection of the lunar surface soil permittivity by spaceborne radar in various lunar environments.

Retrieval of digital elevation models from Sentinel-1 radar data – open applications, techniques, and limitations

With the launch of Sentinel-1 in 2014, a new era of openly accessible spaceborne radar imagery was begun, and its potential has been demonstrated throughout all fields of applications. However, while interferometric approaches to detect surface deformations are continuously being published, only a few studies address the derivation of digital elevation models (DEMs) from Sentinel-1 data. This is mainly because of the narrow orbital tube, which was primarily designed for subsidence measurements using differential interferometry. Nonetheless, the technical conditions are provided for successful applications involving DEM generation. These are outlined in the first part of this article with a focus on potential error sources and the impact of the most important constraints, namely, temporal and perpendicular baselines. The second part evaluates 21 studies on this topic, their aims, and how they dealt with error sources and the necessity of validation. These studies are then discussed based on the main challenges and potentials including how these can be tackled in the future to lay a solid foundation for scientific discourse.