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Raindrop Signature from Microwave Radiometer Over Deserts
Author(s) -
You Yalei,
Joseph Munchak S.,
Ferraro Ralph,
Mohr Karen,
PetersLidard Christa,
Prigent Catherine,
Ringerud Sarah,
Rudlosky Scott,
Wang Heshun,
Norouzi Hamidreza,
Prakash Satya
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2020gl088656
Subject(s) - radiometer , environmental science , snow , remote sensing , emissivity , brightness temperature , microwave , satellite , ice cloud , meteorology , terrain , precipitation , atmospheric sciences , microwave imaging , desert (philosophy) , geology , physics , geography , optics , philosophy , epistemology , cartography , quantum mechanics , astronomy
Rainfall estimates from spaceborne microwave radiometers form the foundation of global precipitation data sets. Since the beginning of the satellite microwave rainfall estimation era in the 1980s, the primary signature leveraged over land for these estimates has been the brightness temperature (TB) depression due to ice particle scattering. Contrary to this practice, time series analyses based on observations from two spaceborne radars and two spaceborne radiometers reveal a TB increase at H19 due to raindrop emission as the primary cloud particle signature over desert terrain. Low surface emissivity supports the use of liquid raindrop emission as the primary signature over desert surfaces. In these regions, the surface rain rate better correlates with the liquid raindrop emission signal than with the scattering induced by ice further aloft, suggesting a new potential for improving rainfall estimation over deserts by exploiting the liquid raindrop emission signature.