Retrievals of ice cloud microphysical properties of deep convective systems using radar measurements

摘要

abstract_textpThis study presents newly developed algorithms for retrieving ice cloud microphysical properties (ice water content (IWC) and median mass diameter (D-m)) for the stratiform rain and thick anvil regions of deep convective systems (DCSs) using Next Generation Radar (NEXRAD) reflectivity and empirical relationships from aircraft in situ measurements. A typical DCS case (20 May 2011) during the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) is selected as an example to demonstrate the 4-D retrievals. The vertical distributions of retrieved IWC are compared with previous studies and cloud-resolving model simulations. The statistics from six selected cases during MC3E show that the aircraft in situ derived IWC and D-m are 0.470.29gm(-3) and 2.021.3mm, while the mean values of retrievals have a positive bias of 0.19gm(-3) (40) and negative bias of 0.41mm (20), respectively. To evaluate the new retrieval algorithms, IWC and D-m are retrieved for other DCSs observed during the Bow Echo and Mesoscale Convective Vortex Experiment (BAMEX) using NEXRAD reflectivity and compared with aircraft in situ measurements. During BAMEX, a total of 63, 1min collocated aircraft and radar samples are available for comparisons, and the averages of radar retrieved and aircraft in situ measured IWC values are 1.52gm(-3) and 1.25gm(-3) with a correlation of 0.55, and their averaged D-m values are 2.08 and 1.77mm. In general, the new retrieval algorithms are suitable for continental DCSs during BAMEX, especially within stratiform rain and thick anvil regions./p/abstract_text