Statistics on the vertical structure of rainshowers

A large sample of summertime data from the McGill Radar Weather Observatory was analyzed to determine the variation with altitude of the horizontal extent of individual rainshowers. For echoes defined by a reflectivity factor of 39 dBz (equivalent to a rainfall rate of about 10 mm/h) it was found that the mean area of the total population of echoes decreases linearly with altitude from approximately 20 km² at 2 km to 11 km² at 8 km. Subsets of the total population were investigated, consisting of only the echoes penetrating the altitudes of 6, 7, and 8 km. On the average these relatively tall echoes are much greater in horizontal extent than the total population. Whereas the sizes of the total population of echoes at any altitude are distributed approximately exponentially in terms of the square root of area, the sizes of the “survivors” that extend to high altitudes may be described by the gamma distribution with a mean value decreasing approximately linearly with height above 3 km and a dispersion of 0.55. Some characteristics are also reported for echoes defined by reflectivities of 31 dBz and 47 dBz. Estimates are given of the fraction of the total area in a horizontal plane that contains echoes in each of these categories.     

Statistics on the sizes and internal structures of rainshowers

A large sample of radar reflectivity data from essentially a full summer of operation was analyzed to determine the horizontal extents and internal structure of rain areas observed at altitude levels from 2 to 10 km. Results are given on the size distributions of individual cells or patches defined by reflectivity thresholds approximately 4 dBz apart, on the dependence of mean size on altitude and reflectivity threshold, and on the interior structure of the patches as characterized by the number and sizes of higher-threshold patches contained in each echo. In a more detailed analysis of internal structure, the data were restricted to convective echoes in which certain prescribed reflectivities, ranging from about 30 to 50 dBz, were exceeded. It was found that the dependence of mean quantities, such as patch area, on reflectivity and altitude could be approximately described by simple functions, but that the scatter of observations about the mean was usually large.     

桂林暴雨天气的多普勒雷达径向速度分析与应用

利用桂林新一带天气雷达径向速度产品资料对2004年发生在桂林的强暴雨过程及其暴雨个例的径向速度平面位置显示产品（PPI）特征的多样性进行分析发现，利用径向速度变化可判断中尺度对流的发展，可对桂林暴雨提前做出预报。     

Verifying warnings for point precipitation

Short-term risk forecasts of point precipitation are obtained with COTREC/RainCast, a technique for extrapolation of radar images. The risk forecasts are updated every 5 min for the next 0–2 h. Risk levels are defined for moderate, heavy and extreme precipitation. Warning messages are generated if, at the locations of 23 rain gauges, these risk levels are reached or exceeded. The time-resolved gauge data are used to judge if the warning messages are in time, early or late.Data over a period of 4 months (summer 2002) are used for verification. The largest number of warnings (1790) was obtained for moderate precipitation. About 55% of these warnings were in time, 23% were early and 22% were late. This finding is in a good agreement with the defined risk level for warnings (50%), indicating that the model for calculating the risk factors is reliable. Less warnings in time, and more late warnings were found for heavy and extreme precipitation. Hence, the risk levels need to be lowered for heavy and extreme precipitation, in order to reduce the number of late warnings.     

Lightning observations with the Strato-Tropospheric UHF and VHF radars at Arecibo, Puerto Rico

Observations were carried out at National Astronomy and Ionospheric Center (NAIC) in Puerto Rico with a dual-frequency (46.8MHz/430MHz) Strato-Tropospheric radar associated with ground-based precipitation and electrostatic field measurements. This experimental set-up is devoted to provide wind measurements and detection of clear air turbulence. During a thunderstorm event, VHF-UHF radar receivers detected wide frequency band radiation emitted by lightning flashes. We present in this paper observations of a specific storm for which lightning radiation and ionized lightning channel were fortuitously and simultaneously detected. A bi-level structure of the lightning flash channel is observed and is consistent with observations obtained previously by other authors with VHF lightning mapper.     

Quality control algorithms for rainfall measurements

One of the basic requirements for a scientific use of rain data from raingauges, ground and space radars is data quality control. Rain data could be used more intensively in many fields of activity (meteorology, hydrology, etc.), if the achievable data quality could be improved. This depends on the available data quality delivered by the measuring devices and the data quality enhancement procedures. To get an overview of the existing algorithms a literature review and literature pool have been produced. The diverse algorithms have been evaluated to meet VOLTAIRE objectives and sorted in different groups. To test the chosen algorithms an algorithm pool has been established, where the software is collected. A large part of this work presented here is implemented in the scope of the EU-project VOLTAIRE (Validation of multisensors precipitation fields and numerical modeling in Mediterranean test sites).     

Using radar direct wave for concrete condition assessment: Correlation with electrical resistivity

This paper demonstrates that the direct wave of a radar ground-coupled antenna may be used for the nondestructive assessment of the physical condition of concrete, which directly influences the corrosion of the reinforcing bars in the structure. The validity of this method was evaluated by a comparison with the electrical resistivity method, which is frequently used for the evaluation of corrosion probability. Both methods were implemented in the laboratory on 72 concrete samples (25 × 25 × 8 cm³) with various degrees of saturation and chloride contamination levels. On-site investigations were also carried out on the concrete slab (1080 m²) of a car-park.The results of the laboratory tests show that the radar direct signal is strongly affected by variations in concrete moisture and chloride contamination level. The tests performed in real conditions confirm the good correlation between radar direct wave attenuation and electrical resistivity and, thus, the aptitude of the radar direct wave to detect concrete conditions leading to reinforcement corrosion.     

ERS-2 SAR反演海洋风矢量的研究

SAR(Synthetic Aperture Radar)反演海洋风矢量是当今微波遥感领域非常有意义的前沿课题. 本文首先介绍了星载SAR估算海面风向、风速的基本原理和三种主流反演算法，接着给出反演的流程图以及重要步骤. 然后，以2002年5月7日香港地区ERS-2 SAR海洋图像为例，对经典的SWDA (SAR Wind Direction Algorithm)－谱分析方法加以改进，求得具有180°模糊度的风向，并用香港天文台气象浮标实测数据消除了风向不确定性. 最后，利用CMOD4 GMF（Geophysical Model Function，地球物理模式函数）计算得到海面上10m高的风速. 与气象浮标站实测资料相比，利用ERS-2 SAR图像获取的海面风向、风速的精度均较高. 这一结果表明：如果对SAR预先进行ADC(Analog to Digital Converter)改正以及精确校准，结合改进的SWDA和CMOD4，可以获得高精度的风矢量.     

Impact of Doppler Radar Wind in Simulating the Intensity and Propagation of Rainbands Associated with Mesoscale Convective Complexes Using MM5-3DVAR System

Pre-monsoon rainfall around Kolkata (northeastern part of India) is mostly of convective origin as 80% of the seasonal rainfall is produced by Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS). Accurate prediction of the intensity and structure of these convective cloud clusters becomes challenging, mostly because the convective clouds within these clusters are short lived and the inaccuracy in the models initial state to represent the mesoscale details of the true atmospheric state. Besides the role in observing the internal structure of the precipitating systems, Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) provides an important data source for mesoscale and microscale weather analysis and forecasting. An attempt has been made to initialize the storm-scale numerical model using retrieved wind fields from single Doppler radar. In the present study, Doppler wind velocities from the Kolkata Doppler weather radar are assimilated into a mesoscale model, MM5 model using the three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR) system for the prediction of intense convective events that occurred during 0600 UTC on 5 May and 0000 UTC on 7 May, 2005. In order to evaluate the impact of the DWR wind data in simulating these severe storms, three experiments were carried out. The results show that assimilation of Doppler radar wind data has a positive impact on the prediction of intensity, organization and propagation of rain bands associated with these mesoscale convective systems. The assimilation system has to be modified further to incorporate the radar reflectivity data so that simulation of the microphysical and thermodynamic structure of these convective storms can be improved.     

714SD多普勒雷达在强降水中的应用

本文针对近几年汕头地区出现的强降水天气，重点开展了多普勒天气雷达速度回波及其产品的应用研究，结合相应的天气背景、物理量变化对强度回波和速度场回波作一些分析，归纳总结出台风、冷锋锋面、暖切变、西南急流、脊后槽前辐合区、东风波等不同天气形势下强降水的类型及其回波特征，并尝试性地解释了一些特殊回波的风场结构和天气现象。