Consistency in <i>Z</i>-<i>R</i>Relationship Variability Regardless Precipitating Systems, Climatic Zones Observed from Two Types of Disdrometer

Data from rain Drop Size Distributions gathered on five sites in Africa as well as those of the pilot site in Kourou (French Guyana, South America), located in different climatic zones, and collected by two types of disdrometer (the impact JW RD-69 disdrometer and the Optical Spectro-Pluviometer, OSP) are used to study the consistency of the reflectivity factor-rain rate at the ground (Z-R) relationship variability. The results clearly confirm that the relationship Z-R knows a large spatial variability, from a type of precipitation to another and within the same precipitation regardless the type of disdrometer used for DSD measurements. Base on the similarity of the relations reflectivity factor-rain rate and ratio median volume diameter over the total number of drops-rain rate, the variability of the Z-R coefficients (A, b) through the simultaneously implication of the size and number of drops which characterize the DSD was exhibited. It was shown that the relationships A-α and b-β designed to understand the involvement of parameters D0 and NT of DSD in the variability of the relationship Z-R are similar regardless the types of disdrometer used. However, the relations A-α in the Sahelian region appear to deviate from those of Guinean, equatorial and Soudanian zones. The plausible reasons were discussed.

利用2004年北京雨滴谱资料分析降水强度和雷达反射率因子的关系

在北京2004年的45次降水过程中,基于DISDROMETER仪器测量的雨滴谱资料计算每次降水的强度R和雷达反射率因子Z。结果表明,不同降水过程中,雷达反射率因子Z与降水强度R的幂指数关系中的指数b和系数a是不同的,这与不同降水过程的雨滴谱分布不同密切相关。综合分析这45次降水过程中的指数b和系数a,得到指数b和系数a呈正相关。接着,分别就指数b和系数a与平均降水强度、平均雷达反射率因子、平均特征直径和雨滴平均数密度之间关系做了详细的讨论。另外,基于这一年的降水雨滴谱资料,讨论了Z-R幂指数关系中指数b和系数a的月变化特征。分析结果表明,从4月到12月系数a和指数b呈现逐月递减的年变化特征。最后,文章就12个个例的特征直径Dm的特征进行了分析。结果显示,当特征直径Dm随时间保持不变时,降水强度R和雷达反射率因子Z之间存在线性相关的关系,即当特征直径Dm为常数时,Z-R关系的指数b为1。

Seasonal Variations of Observed Raindrop Size Distribution in East China

Seasonal variations of rainfall microphysics in East China are investigated using data from the observations of a twodimensional video disdrometer and a vertically pointing micro rain radar. The precipitation and rain drop size distribution(DSD) characteristics are revealed for different rain types and seasons. Summer rainfall is dominated by convective rain,while during the other seasons the contribution of stratiform rain to rainfall amount is equal to or even larger than that of convective rain. The mean mass-weighted diameter versus the generalized intercept parameter pairs of convective rain are plotted roughly around the "maritime" cluster, indicating a maritime nature of convective precipitation throughout the year in East China. The localized rainfall estimators, i.e., rainfall kinetic energy–rain rate, shape–slope, and radar reflectivity–rain rate relations are further derived. DSD variability is believed to be a major source of diversity of the aforementioned derived estimators. These newly derived relations would certainly improve the accuracy of rainfall kinetic energy estimation, DSD retrieval, and quantitative precipitation estimation in this specific region.

An observational study of precipitation types in the Alaskan Arctic

The effects of various precipitation types,such as snow,rain,sleet,hail and freezing rain,on regional hydrology,ecology,snow and ice surfaces differ significantly.Due to limited observations,however,few studies into precipitation types have been conducted in the Arctic.Based on the high-resolution precipitation records from an OTT Parsivel^(2) disdrometer in Utqiaġvik,Alaska,this study analysed variations in precipitation types in the Alaskan Arctic from 15 May to 16 October,2019.Results show that rain and snow were the dominant precipitation types during the measurement period,accounting for 92%of the total precipitation.In addition,freezing rain,sleet,and hail were also observed(2,4 and 11 times,respectively),accounting for the rest part of the total precipitation.The records from a neighbouring U.S.Climate Reference Network(USCRN)station equipped with T-200B rain gauges support the results of disdrometer.Further analysis revealed that Global Precipitation Measurement(GPM)satellite data could well characterise the observed precipitation changes in Utqiaġvik.Combined with satellite data and station observations,the spatiotemporal variations in precipitation were verified in various reanalysis datasets,and the results indicated that ECMWF Reanalysis v5(ERA5)could better describe the observed precipitation time series in Utqiaġvik and the spatial distribution of data in the Alaskan Arctic.Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications,Version 2(MERRA-2)overestimated the amount and frequency of precipitation.Japanese 55-year Reanalysis(JRA-55)could better simulate heavy precipitation events and the spatial distribution of the precipitation phase,but it overestimated summer snowfall.

A Comprehensive Observational Analysis for the Effects of Gas Cannons on Clouds and Precipitation

To analyze the effects of gas cannons on clouds and precipitation,multisource observational data,including those from National Centers for Environmental Prediction(NCEP)reanalysis,Hangzhou and Huzhou new-generation weather radars,laser disdrometer,ground-based automatic weather station,wind profiler radar,and Lin'an C-band dualpolarization radar,were adopted in this study.Based on the variational dual-Doppler wind retrieval method and the polarimetric variables obtained by the dual-polarization radar,we analyzed the microphysical processes and the variations in the macro-and microphysical quantities in clouds from the perspective of the synoptic background before precipitation enhancement,the polarization echo characteristics before,during and after enhancement,and the evolution of the fine three-dimensional kinematic structure and the microphysical structure.The results show that the precipitation enhancement operation promoted the development of radar echoes and prolonged their duration,and both the horizontal and vertical wind speeds increased.The dual-polarization radar echo showed that the diameter of the precipitation particles increased,and the concentration of raindrops increased after precipitation enhancement.The raindrops were lifted to a height corresponding to 0 to-20℃due to vertical updrafts.Based on the disdrometer data during precipitation enhancement,the concentration of small raindrops(lgN_(w))showed a significant increase,and the mass-weighted diameter D_(m)value decreased,indicating that the precipitation enhancement operation played a certain“lubricating”effect.After the precipitation enhancement,the concentration of raindrops did not change much compared with that during the enhancement process,while the Dm increased,corresponding to an increase in rain intensity.The results suggest the positive effect of gas cannons on precipitation enhancement.

Comparison of Microphysical Characteristics Between Warm-sector and Frontal Heavy Rainfall in the South of China

During the April-June raining season,warm-sector heavy rainfall(WR) and frontal heavy rainfall(FR) often occur in the south of China,causing natural disasters.In this study,the microphysical characteristics of WR and FR events from 2016 to 2022 are analyzed by using 2-dimensional video disdrometer(2DVD) data in the south of China.The microphysical characteristics of WR and FR events are quite different.Compared with FR events,WR events have higher concentration of D<5.3 mm(especially D <1 mm),leading to higher rain rates.The mean values of Dmand lgNwof WR events are higher than that of FR events.The microphysical characteristics in different rain rate classes(C1:R~5-20 mm h-1,C2:R~20-50 mm h-1,C3:R~50-100 mm h^(-1),and C4:R> 100 mm h^(-1)) for WR and FR events are also different.Raindrops from C3 contribute the most to the precipitation of WR events,and raindrops from C2 contribute the most to the precipitation of FR events.For C2 and C3,compared with FR events,WR events have higher concentration of D <1 mm and D~3-4.5 mm.Moreover,the shape and slope(μ-A) relationships and the radar reflectivity and rain rate(Z-R) relationships of WR and FR events are quite different in each rain rate class.The investigation of the difference in microphysical characteristics between WR and FR events provide useful information for radar-based quantitative precipitation estimation and numerical prediction.

Variability of microphysical characteristics in the “21·7” Henan extremely heavy rainfall event

In this study, significant rainfall microphysical variability is revealed for the extremely heavy rainfall event over Henan Province in July 2021(the “21·7” Henan EHR event) using a dense network of disdrometers and two polarimetric radars.The broad distributions of specific drop size distribution(DSD) parameters are identified in heavy rainfall from the disdrometer observations, indicating obvious microphysical variability on the surface. A K-means clustering algorithm is adopted to objectively classify the disdrometer datasets into separate groups, and distinct DSD characteristics are found among these heavy rainfall groups. Combined with the supporting microphysical structures obtained through radar observations, comprehensive microphysical features of the DSD groups are derived. An extreme rainfall group is dominantly formed in the deep convection over the plain regions, where the high number of concentrations and large mean sizes of surface raindrops are underpinned by both active ice-phase processes and efficient warm-rain collision-coalescence processes in the vertical direction. Convection located near orographic regions is characterized by restricted ice-phase processes and high coalescence efficiency of liquid hydrometeors, causing the dominant DSD group to comprise negligible large raindrops. Multiple DSD groups can coexist within certain precipitation episodes at the disdrometer stations, indicating the potential microphysical variability during the passage of convective system on the plain regions.

Variations of Raindrop Size Distribution and Radar Retrieval in Outer Rainbands of Typhoon Mangkhut(2018)

The evolution of the microphysical properties of raindrops from Typhoon Mangkhut’s outer rainbands as the storm made landfall in South China in September 2018 was investigated.The observations by three two-dimensional video disdrometers deployed in central Guangdong Province were analyzed concurrently.It was found that the radial distribution of the median volume diameter(D_(0))and normalized intercept parameter(N_(w))varied in different stages,and that raindrops smaller than 3.0 mm contributed more than 99%of the total precipitation.Considering the characteristics of precipitation in the typhoon outer rainband,a modified stratiform rain(SR)-convective rain(CR)separator line is proposed based on D_(0) and N_(w) scatterplots.Meanwhile,an“S-C likelihood index”is introduced,which was used to classify three rain types(SR,CR,and mixed rain).The CR results were highly consistent with those of the improved typhoon precipitation classification method based on rain rate.By calculating effectively the radar reflectivity factor(Ze)in the Ku and Ka bands,D0-Ze and N_(w)-D_(0) empirical relations were thereby derived for improving the accuracy of rainfall retrieval.Among the four quantitative precipitation estimators using S-band dual-polarimetric radar parameters simulated by the T-matrix method,the estimator that adopted the specific differential phase and differential reflectivity was found to be the most effective for both SR and CR.