Universität zu Köln

Tridon, Frederic, Battaglia, Alessandro and Kneifel, Stefan ORCID: 0000-0003-2220-2968 (2020). Estimating total attenuation using Rayleigh targets at cloud top: applications in multilayer and mixed-phase clouds observed by ground-based multifrequency radars. Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13 (9). S. 5065 - 5086. GOTTINGEN: COPERNICUS GESELLSCHAFT MBH. ISSN 1867-8548

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Abstract

At millimeter wavelengths, attenuation by hydrometeors, such as liquid droplets or large snowflakes, is generally not negligible. When using multifrequency ground-based radar measurements, it is common practice to use the Rayleigh targets at cloud top as a reference in order to derive attenuation-corrected reflectivities and meaningful dual-frequency ratios (DFRs). By capitalizing on this idea, this study describes a new quality-controlled approach that aims at identifying regions of cloud where particle growth is negligible. The core of the method is the identification of a Rayleigh plateau, i.e., a large enough region near cloud top where the vertical gradient of DFR remains small. By analyzing co-located K-a-W band radar and microwave radiometer (MWR) observations taken at two European sites under various meteorological conditions, it is shown how the resulting estimates of differential path-integrated attenuation (Delta PIA) can be used to characterize hydrometeor properties. When the Delta PIA is predominantly produced by cloud liquid droplets, this technique alone can provide accurate estimates of the liquid water path. When combined with MWR observations, this methodology paves the way towards profiling the cloud liquid water, quality-flagging the MWR retrieval for rain and drizzle contamination, and/or estimating the snow differential attenuation.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Tridon, Frederic UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Battaglia, Alessandro UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Kneifel, Stefan UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-2220-2968 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-318136
DOI:	10.5194/amt-13-5065-2020
Journal or Publication Title:	Atmos. Meas. Tech.
Volume:	13
Number:	9
Page Range:	S. 5065 - 5086
Date:	2020
Publisher:	COPERNICUS GESELLSCHAFT MBH
Place of Publication:	GOTTINGEN
ISSN:	1867-8548
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language SUPERCOOLED LIQUID WATER; DROP SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS; DOPPLER SPECTRA; MICROPHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MICROWAVE RADIOMETER; SINGLE-FREQUENCY; SPACEBORNE RADAR; RAIN-RATE; ICE; RETRIEVAL Multiple languages Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/31813