Retrieval of Arbitrarily Shaped Raindrop Size Distributions from Wind Profiler Measurements

Abstract

An efficient iterative retrieval method for arbitrarily shaped raindrop size distributions (ITRAN) is developed for Doppler spectra measured with a wind profiler. A measured Doppler spectrum is a convolution of the precipitation spectrum and the turbulent spectrum. Deconvolution of the Doppler spectra is achieved through repeated convolutions. The developed method assumes no prior shape of drop size distributions and automatically obtains raindrop size distributions; additionally, it can be applied to large data volumes. Furthermore, it is insensitive to initial values. The method was applied to both simulated and observed spectra. Derived drop size distributions agree with simulated values. Narrower turbulent spectral widths yield better results. Integral values of median volume diameter (D0), liquid water content (LWC), and radar reflectivity factor are estimated with errors of less than 10%. Accurate vertical profiles of raindrop size distributions result when this method is applied to wind profiler data. The technique performed very well with most observed spectra. Some recovered spectra departed from the corresponding measured spectra, for cases in which a clear-air peak could not be accurately reproduced because of uncertainties in the location of the minimum position between the clear-air echo and the precipitation echo. Statistical relationships between LWC and integral rainfall parameters yield interesting features. The median volume diameter is statistically independent of the LWC and is associated with the large variability of the total number of drops, NT, between events. Vertical profiles from one event show a clear inverse relationship between NT and D0