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Polarization radar studies of precipitation development in convective storms
Author(s) -
Illingworth A. J.,
Goddard J. W. F.,
Cherry S. M.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49711347604
Subject(s) - convection , precipitation , convective storm detection , radar , storm , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , liquid water content , ice crystals , reflectivity , supercooling , meteorology , precipitation types , geology , physics , optics , cloud computing , telecommunications , operating system , computer science
Radar observations of the differential reflectivity ( Z DR ) of developing convective clouds are presented. This parameter provides a measure of a mean hydrometeor shape, and when analysed in conjunction with the conventional reflectivity ( Z ), it gives an indication of whether the precipitation is ice or liquid water; for rain it enables an estimate of raindrop size and concentration to be made. the results suggest that some isolated echoes which subsequently develop into large cumulonimbus clouds initially have very small concentrations of large (diameter greater than 4 mm) supercooled raindrops, a very different size distribution from that normally observed in mature convective clouds. an alternative explanation in terms of an even lower population of much larger ice particles in wet growth is technically possible but does not seem physically realistic.