Current Status and Future Challenges of Weather Radar Polarimetry: Bridging the Gap between Radar Meteorology/Hydrology/Engineering and Numerical Weather Prediction

After decades of research and development, the WSR-88 D(NEXRAD) network in the United States was upgraded with dual-polarization capability, providing polarimetric radar data(PRD) that have the potential to improve weather observations,quantification, forecasting, and warnings. The weather radar networks in China and other countries are also being upgraded with dual-polarization capability. Now, with radar polarimetry technology having matured, and PRD available both nationally and globally, it is important to understand the current status and future challenges and opportunities. The potential impact of PRD has been limited by their oftentimes subjective and empirical use. More importantly, the community has not begun to regularly derive from PRD the state parameters, such as water mixing ratios and number concentrations, used in numerical weather prediction(NWP) models.In this review, we summarize the current status of weather radar polarimetry, discuss the issues and limitations of PRD usage, and explore potential approaches to more efficiently use PRD for quantitative precipitation estimation and forecasting based on statistical retrieval with physical constraints where prior information is used and observation error is included. This approach aligns the observation-based retrievals favored by the radar meteorology community with the model-based analysis of the NWP community. We also examine the challenges and opportunities of polarimetric phased array radar research and development for future weather observation.     

基于线性规划方法处理C波段双线偏振多普勒天气雷达差分相位φ_C数据

高质量的差分相位数据能够有效地提高雷达识别粒子、估测降水的能力。本研究针对南京信息工程大学C波段双线偏振多普勒天气雷达(NUIST-CDP),提出一套差分相位φ_C数据的质量控制算法。其中将雷达观测到的差分相位φ_C分为5个部分:差分传播相位φ_(DP)、后向散射差分相位δ、非降水回波的波动ε_(NP)、系统误差ε_S以及电磁波信号的随机扰动ε_R。在线性规划方法的基础上,采用模糊逻辑法、小波分析法与迭代滤波法分别将差分相位φ_C数据中的ε_(NP)、ε_R和δ剔除,然后依据滤波后的数据,将各径向中第一个降水回波的值作为该径向的系统误差ε_S。结果表明,该算法能够有效地平滑由非降水回波引起的大振幅波动以及因电磁波信号造成的小振幅扰动,且可以剔除差分相位φ_C数据中存在的δ。此外,处理后的数据满足随径向距离递增的条件。     

A Bayesian analysis of Generalized Pareto Distribution of runoff minima

Global climate change models have predicted the intensification of extreme events, and these predictions are already occurring. For disaster management and adaptation of extreme events, it is essential to improve the accuracy of extreme value statistical models. In this study, Bayes' Theorem is introduced to estimate parameters in Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD), and then the GPD is applied to simulate the distribution of minimum monthly runoff during dry periods in mountain areas of the Ürümqi River, Northwest China. Bayes' Theorem treats parameters as random variables and provides a robust way to convert the prior distribution of parameters into a posterior distribution. Statistical inferences based on posterior distribution can provide a more comprehensive representation of the parameters. An improved Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, which can solve high‐dimensional integral computation in the Bayes equation, is used to generate parameter simulations from the posterior distribution. Model diagnosis plots are made to guarantee the fitted GPD is appropriate. Then based on the GPD with Bayesian parameter estimates, monthly runoff minima corresponding to different return periods can be calculated. The results show that the improved MCMC method is able to make Markov chains converge faster. The monthly runoff minima corresponding to 10a, 25a, 50a and 100a return periods are 0.60 m³/s, 0.44 m³/s, 0.32 m³/s and 0.20 m³/s respectively. The lower boundary of 95% confidence interval of 100a return level is below zero, which implies that the Ürümqi River is likely to cease to flow when 100a return level appears in dry periods. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

长江下游沿江升金湖河湖过渡带地下水来源及水质影响因素分析

为探究河湖过渡带地下水来源及其水质影响因素,本文分析了不同水体氢氧同位素的分布特征,确定地下水的补给来源,而后采用贝叶斯混合模型(MixSIAR)定量解析不同补给源对地下水的贡献率,并计算混合水源对地下水酸碱度(pH)、电导率(Cond)和总溶解固体(TDS)的贡献量,探究水源混合对地下水水质的影响.研究发现:近长江和湖岸的地下水同位素特征与长江水、湖水接近,其水力联系密切,而中部地下水同位素特征与河水接近,受河水补给明显;河水对地下水的贡献率最大,约为47%,降水贡献率约为20%,湖水和长江水的贡献率分别约为16%和17%;混合水源对pH的贡献率接近100%,对Cond的贡献率约为70%,而对TDS的贡献率很小.此外,生活污水、农业污染等外源输入也会导致地下水pH下降,Cond和TDS明显升高.