Use of Two Profilers during MCTEX for Unambiguous Identification of Bragg Scattering and Rayleigh Scattering

Abstract

A 2835-MHz (10.6-cm wavelength) profiler and a 920-MHz (32.6-cm wavelength) profiler were collocated by the NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory at Garden Point, Australia, in the Tiwi Islands during the Maritime Continent Thunderstorm Experiment (MCTEX) field campaign in November and December 1995. The two profilers were directed vertically and observed vertical velocities in the clear atmosphere and hydrometeor fall velocities in deep precipitating cloud systems. In the absence of Rayleigh scatterers, the profilers obtain backscattering from the refractive index irregularities created from atmospheric turbulence acting upon refractive index gradients. This kind of scattering is commonly referred to as Bragg scattering and is only weakly dependent on the radar wavelength provided the radar half-wavelength lies within the inertial subrange of homogeneous, isotropic turbulence. In the presence of hydrometeors the profilers observe Rayleigh backscattering from hydrometeors much as weather radars do and this backscatter is very dependent upon radar wavelength, strongly favoring the shorter wavelength profiler resulting in a 20-dB enhancement of the ability of the 2835-MHz profiler to observe hydrometeors. This paper presents observations of equivalent reflectivity, Doppler velocity, and spectral width made by the collocated profilers during MCTEX. Differential reflectivity is used to diagnose the type of echo observed by the profilers in the spectral moment data. When precipitation or other particulate backscatter is dominant, the equivalent reflectivities are essentially the same for both profilers. When Bragg scattering is the dominant process, equivalent reflectivity observed by the 1-GHz profiler exceeds the equivalent reflectivity observed by the 3-GHz profiler by approximately 18 dBZe. However, when the 3-GHz profiler half-wavelength is smaller than the inner scale of turbulence, the equivalent reflectivity difference exceeds 18 dBZe, and when both Rayleigh scattering and Bragg scattering are observed simultaneously, the equivalent reflectivity difference is less than 18 dBZe. The results obtained confirm the capability of two collocated profilers to unambiguously identify the type of echo being observed and hence enable the segregation of ?clear air? and precipitation echoes for studies of atmospheric dynamics and precipitating cloud systems.