Effects of Drop-Size-Distribution Truncation on Computer Simulations of Dual-Measurement Radar Methods

Abstract

An investigation is made of the effects of truncating the raindrop-size distribution at minimum and maximum diameters on the results of computer simulations of dual-measurement radar methods. The dual-measurement methods investigated include those that involve the pairs of measurables (Z, A), (A, Σ), (ZDR, ZH), and (vZ, Z), where Z, A, Σ, ZDR, ZH, and vz are the Rayleigh reflectivity factor, microwave attenuation, optical extinction, differential reflectivity, Mie reflectivity factor at horizontal polarization, and mean Doppler fall speed, respectively. It is found that the systematic offsets of calculated versus actual values of rainfall parameters observed in previous work using experimental disdrometer drop-size spectra can be attributed almost entirely to truncation effects. Any remaining offset after truncation effects have been removed can be attributed to deviations of the drop-size distribution from exponentiality. The effects of truncation on empirical relations deduced from experimental drop-size spectra are also discussed.