A polarimetric radar forward operator for model evaluation

Abstract A polarimetric radar forward operator has been developed as a tool for the systematic evaluation of microphysical parameterization schemes in high-resolution numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. The application of such a forward operator allows a direct comparison of the model simulations to polarimetric radar observations. While the comparison of observed and synthetic reflectivity gives information on the quality of quantitative precipitation forecasts, the information from the polarimetric quantities allows for a direct evaluation of the capacity of the NWP model to realistically describe the processes involved in the formation and interactions of the hydrometeors and, hence, the performance of the microphysical parameterization scheme. This information is expected to be valuable for detecting systematic model errors and hence improve model physics. This paper summarizes the technical characteristics of the synthetic polarimetric radar (SynPolRad). Different polarimetric radar quantities...

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