Articulating and Stationary PARSIVEL Disdrometer Measurements in Conditions with Strong Winds and Heavy Rainfall

AbstractThe influence of strong winds on the quality of optical Particle Size Velocity (PARSIVEL) disdrometer measurements is examined with data from Hurricane Ike in 2008 and from convective thunderstorms observed during the second Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX2) in 2010. This study investigates an artifact in particle size distribution (PSD) measurements that has been observed independently by six stationary PARSIVEL disdrometers. The artifact is characterized by a large number concentration of raindrops with large diameters (>5 mm) and unrealistic fall velocities (<1 m s−1). It is correlated with high wind speeds and is consistently observed by stationary disdrometers but is not observed by articulating disdrometers (instruments whose sampling area is rotated into the wind). The effects of strong winds are further examined with a tilting experiment, in which drops are dripped through the PARSIVEL sampling area while the instrument is tilted at various angles, s...

[1]  Robert A. Black,et al.  The Concept of “Normalized” Distribution to Describe Raindrop Spectra: A Tool for Cloud Physics and Cloud Remote Sensing , 2001 .

[2]  V. N. Bringi,et al.  Drop Axis Ratios from a 2D Video Disdrometer , 2005 .

[3]  Clemens Simmer,et al.  PARSIVEL Snow Observations: A Critical Assessment , 2010 .

[4]  Erik N. Rasmussen,et al.  The Second Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment: VORTEX2 , 2012 .

[5]  Daqing Yang,et al.  Accuracy of NWS 8 Standard Nonrecording Precipitation Gauge: Results and Application of WMO Intercomparison , 1998 .

[6]  Ulrich Blahak,et al.  Estimation of the Equivalent Radar Reflectivity Factor from Measured Snow Size Spectra. , 2001 .

[7]  Warner L. Ecklund,et al.  Tropical rainfall associated with convective and stratiform clouds : Intercomparison of disdrometer and profiler measurements , 1999 .

[8]  R. Gunn,et al.  THE TERMINAL VELOCITY OF FALL FOR WATER DROPLETS IN STAGNANT AIR , 1949 .

[9]  Remko Uijlenhoet,et al.  Comparison between Pludix and impact/optical disdrometers during rainfall measurement campaigns , 2006 .

[10]  On the measurement of atmospheric gamma drop‐size distributions , 2008 .

[11]  Robert A. Black,et al.  Observations of Particle Size and Phase in Tropical Cyclones: Implications for Mesoscale Modeling of Microphysical Processes , 2004 .

[12]  Alexander V. Ryzhkov,et al.  Drop Size Distributions Measured by a 2D Video Disdrometer: Comparison with Dual-Polarization Radar Data , 2001 .

[13]  Shengjie Niu,et al.  Distributions of Raindrop Sizes and Fall Velocities in a Semiarid Plateau Climate: Convective versus Stratiform Rains , 2010 .

[14]  M. Coutinho,et al.  Characterization of raindrop size distributions at the Vale Formoso Experimental Erosion Center , 1995 .

[15]  M. Löffler-Mang,et al.  An Optical Disdrometer for Measuring Size and Velocity of Hydrometeors , 2000 .

[16]  J. W. F. Goddard,et al.  The ability of dual‐polarization radar (copolar linear) to predict rainfall rate and microwave attenuation , 1984 .

[17]  R. C. Srivastava,et al.  Doppler radar characteristics of precipitation at vertical incidence , 1973 .

[18]  F. Merceret.  On the Size Distribution of Raindrops in Hurricane Ginger , 1974 .

[19]  Christopher J. Schultz,et al.  Drop size distribution comparisons between Parsivel and 2-D video disdrometers , 2011 .

[20]  Galina Dick,et al.  The general observation period 2007 within the priority program on quantitative precipitation forecasting: concept and first results , 2008 .

[21]  Laurent Barthes,et al.  DEVEX-disdrometer evaluation experiment : Basic results and implications for hydrologic studies , 2006 .

[22]  I. Calder,et al.  Drop size modification by forest canopies: Measurements using a disdrometer , 1993 .

[23]  S. Matrosov,et al.  Assessing Snowfall Rates from X-Band Radar Reflectivity Measurements , 2009 .

[24]  V. Bringi,et al.  Comparison of Dual-Polarization Radar Measurements of Rain with Ground-Based Disdrometer Measurements , 1982 .

[25]  Witold F. Krajewski,et al.  Two-dimensional video disdrometer: A description , 2002 .

[26]  C. Ulbrich.  Natural Variations in the Analytical Form of the Raindrop Size Distribution , 1983 .

[27]  Daqing Yang,et al.  Catch Characteristics of Precipitation Gauges in High-Latitude Regions with High Winds , 2006 .

[28]  C. Ulbrich,et al.  Rainfall Characteristics Associated with the Remnants of Tropical Storm Helene in Upstate South Carolina , 2002 .

[29]  H. R. Pruppacher,et al.  Acceleration to Terminal Velocity of Cloud and Raindrops , 1977 .

[30]  Forrest J. Masters,et al.  Drop-Size Distributions in Thunderstorms Measured by Optical Disdrometers during VORTEX2 , 2013 .

[31]  Takis Kasparis,et al.  Raindrop Size Distribution Measurements in Tropical Cyclones , 2006 .

[32]  James W. Wilson,et al.  Rainfall Measurements During Hurricane Agnes by Three Overlapping Radars , 1974 .

[33]  Witold F. Krajewski,et al.  Wind-Induced Error of Raindrop Size Distribution Measurement Using a Two-Dimensional Video Disdrometer , 2000 .

[34]  H. Umhauer,et al.  Errors in the Determination of Particle Size Distributions Caused by coincidences in optical particle counters , 1984 .

[35]  Eugenio Gorgucci,et al.  Raindrop Size Distribution in Different Climatic Regimes from Disdrometer and Dual-Polarized Radar Analysis , 2003 .

[36]  V. Chandrasekar,et al.  DSD characterization and computations of expected reflectivity using data from a two-dimensional video disdrometer deployed in a tropical environment , 2005, Proceedings. 2005 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 2005. IGARSS '05..

[37]  Witold F. Krajewski,et al.  Comparison of Drop Size Distribution Measurements by Impact and Optical Disdrometers , 2001 .

[38]  Alexis Berne,et al.  Experimental Quantification of the Sampling Uncertainty Associated with Measurements from PARSIVEL Disdrometers , 2011 .

[39]  A. Tokay,et al.  Error Characteristics of Rainfall Measurements by Collocated Joss–Waldvogel Disdrometers , 2005 .

[40]  R. Uijlenhoet,et al.  Quantification of the radar reflectivity sampling error in non‐stationary rain using paired disdrometers , 2005 .

[41]  David P. Jorgensen,et al.  A Z-R Relationship for Hurricanes , 1982 .

[42]  L. Weiss.  Relative Catches of Snow in Shielded and Unshielded Gages at Different Wind Speeds , 1961 .

[43]  Louisa Nance,et al.  Observations of Precipitation Size and Fall Speed Characteristics within Coexisting Rain and Wet Snow , 2006 .