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RAINDROP SIZE DISTRIBUTION RETRIEVAL AND EVALUATION USING AN S-BAND RADAR PROFILER

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Date Issued:
2004
Abstract/Description:
Vertical pointing Doppler radar profilers are used to explore the vertical structure of precipitation cloud systems and to provide validation information for use in weather research. In this thesis, a theoretical radar rain-backscatter model was developed to simulate profiler Doppler spectra as a function of assumed rain parameters, of which the raindrop size distribution (DSD) is the fundamental quantity used to describe the characteristics of rain. Also, profiler observations during stratiform rain are analyzed to retrieve the corresponding rain DSD's. In particular, a gamma distribution model is introduced, which uses Rayleigh scattering portion of the Doppler velocity spectrum to estimate the raindrop size distribution. This theoretical scattering model was validated by simulating atmospheric profiles of precipitation Doppler spectra and three moments (reflectivity, mean Doppler velocity and spectral width) and then comparing these with the corresponding measurements from an S-band radar profiler during a NASA conducted Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) field experiment in Central Florida in 1998. Also, the results of my analysis yielding precipitation retrievals are validated with an independent, simultaneous Joss-Waldvogel Disdrometer rain DSD observations that were collocated with the radar profiler.
Title: RAINDROP SIZE DISTRIBUTION RETRIEVAL AND EVALUATION USING AN S-BAND RADAR PROFILER.
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Name(s): Fang, Fang, Author
Jones, Linwood, Committee Chair
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2004
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Vertical pointing Doppler radar profilers are used to explore the vertical structure of precipitation cloud systems and to provide validation information for use in weather research. In this thesis, a theoretical radar rain-backscatter model was developed to simulate profiler Doppler spectra as a function of assumed rain parameters, of which the raindrop size distribution (DSD) is the fundamental quantity used to describe the characteristics of rain. Also, profiler observations during stratiform rain are analyzed to retrieve the corresponding rain DSD's. In particular, a gamma distribution model is introduced, which uses Rayleigh scattering portion of the Doppler velocity spectrum to estimate the raindrop size distribution. This theoretical scattering model was validated by simulating atmospheric profiles of precipitation Doppler spectra and three moments (reflectivity, mean Doppler velocity and spectral width) and then comparing these with the corresponding measurements from an S-band radar profiler during a NASA conducted Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) field experiment in Central Florida in 1998. Also, the results of my analysis yielding precipitation retrievals are validated with an independent, simultaneous Joss-Waldvogel Disdrometer rain DSD observations that were collocated with the radar profiler.
Identifier: CFE0000127 (IID), ucf:46190 (fedora)
Note(s): 2004-08-01
M.S.E.E.
College of Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): Radar
Profiler
Remote Sensing
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000127
Restrictions on Access: public
Host Institution: UCF

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