Separating stratiform and convective rain types based on the drop size distribution characteristics using 2D video disdrometer data

摘要

A technique for separating stratiform and convective rain types using the characteristics of two of the main drop size distribution (DSD) parameters is presented. The method was originally developed based on observations from dual-frequency profiler and dual-polarization radar observations in Darwin, Australia. In this paper, we will present the testing of the method using data from 2D video disdrometers (2DVD) from two very different locations, namely, Ontario, Canada, and Huntsville, Alabama, USA One-minute DSDs from 2DVD are used as input to a gamma-fitting procedure and our separation technique uses the fitted values of log(10)(N-W) and D-0 (where N-W is the scaling parameter and Do is the median volume diameter) and an "index" to quantify where the points lie in the log(10)(N-W) versus D-0 domain.