Dependence of rain integral parameters on measured rain drop velocities at a tropical location

The terminal velocity of fall for water droplets in stagnant air

Abstract: The terminal velocities for distilled water droplets falling through stagnant air are accurately determined. More than 1500 droplets of mass from 0.2 to 100,000 micrograms, embracing droplets so small that Stokes' law is obeyed up to and including droplets so large that they are mechanically unstable, were measured by a new method employing electronic techniques. An apparatus for the production of electrically charged artificial water droplets at a controllable rate is described. The over-all accuracy of the mass-terminal-velocity measurements is better than 0.7 per cent.

Long-Term Radar Observations of the Melting Layer of Precipitation and Their Interpretation

Abstract: In this study, 600 h of vertically pointing X-band radar data and 50 h of UHF boundary layer wind profiler data were processed and analyzed to characterize quantitatively the structure and the causes of the radar signature from melting precipitation. Five classes of vertical profiles of reflectivity in rain were identified, with three of them having precipitation undergoing a transition between the solid and liquid phase. Only one of them, albeit the most common, showed a radar brightband signature. In-depth study of the bright band and its dependence on precipitation intensity reveals that the ratio of the brightband peak reflectivity to the rainfall reflectivity is constant at 8 dB below 0.5 mm h−1 and then increases to reach 13 dB at 2.5 mm h−1 and 16 dB at 5 mm h−1. The equivalent reflectivity factor of snow just above the melting layer is on average 1–2 dB below the reflectivity of rain just below the melting layer, independent of precipitation intensity. The classical brightband explanation...

Do all raindrops fall at terminal speed

Abstract: [1] A unique relation between raindrop size and fall speed vt(D) is assumed throughout atmospheric science. Yet, our speed versus size measurements of millions of drops during natural rainfall events show that many intermediate sized raindrops fall up to an order of magnitude faster than expected. Furthermore, images of drop clusters reveal that these “super-terminal drops” are differently sized fragments of a recent break-up, moving with the speed of the parent drop and relaxing towards vt(D). Additional evidence of the break-up conjecture includes: (i) positive skewness in the distribution of fall speed deviations, (ii) strong size dependence of fall speed deviations and their maximum values and, (iii) preponderance of super-terminal drops in the presence of large raindrops (i.e., during periods of high rainfall rates).

Investigation of vertical profile of rain microstructure at Ahmedabad in Indian tropical region

Abstract: The microstructure of rain has been studied with observations using a vertical looking Micro Rain Radar (MRR) at Ahmedabad (23.06°N, 72.62°E), a tropical location in the Indian region. The rain height, derived from the bright band signature of melting layer of radar reflectivity profile, is found to be variable between the heights 4600 m and 5200 m. The change in the nature of rain, classified on the basis of radar reflectivity, is also observed through the MRR. It has been found that there are three types of rain, namely, convective, mixed and stratiform rain, prevailing with different vertical rain microstructures, such as, Drop Size Distribution (DSD), mean drop size, rain rate, liquid water content and average fall speed of the drops at different heights. It is observed that the vertical DSD profile is more inhomogeneous for mixed and stratiform type rain than for convective type rain. It is also found that the large number of drops of size <0.5 mm is present in convective rain whereas in stratiform rain, drops concentration is appreciable up to 1 mm. A comparison of measurements taken by ground based Disdrometer and that from the 200 m level obtained from MRR shows good agreement for rain rate and DSD at smaller rain rate values. The results may be useful for understanding rain structures over this region.

Comparison between Pludix and impact/optical disdrometers during rainfall measurement campaigns

Abstract: The performances of two couples of disdrometers based on different measuring principles are compared: a classical Joss– Waldvogel disdrometer and a recently developed device, called the Pludix tested in Ferrara, Italy, and Pludix and the twodimensional video disdrometer (2DVD) tested in Cabauw, The Netherlands. First, the measuring principles of the different instruments are presented and compared. Secondly, the performances of the two pairs of disdrometers are analysed by comparing their rain amounts with nearby tipping bucket rain gauges and the inferred drop size distributions. The most important rainfall integral parameters (e.g. rain rate and radar reflectivity) and drop size distribution parameters are also analysed and compared. The data set for Ferrara comprises 13 rainfall events, with a total of 20 mm of rainfall and a maximum rain rate of 4 mm h �1 . The data set for Cabauw consists of 9 events, with 25–50 mm of rainfall and a maximum rain rate of 20–40 mm h �1 . The Pludix tends to underestimate slightly the bulk rainfall variables in less intense events, whereas it tends to overestimate with respect to the other instruments in heavier events. The correspondence of the inferred drop size distributions with those measured by the other disdrometers is reasonable, particularly with the Joss–Waldvogel disdrometer. Considering that the Pludix is still in a calibration and testing phase, the reported results are encouraging. A new signal inversion algorithm, which will allow the detection of rain drops throughout the entire diameter interval between 0.3 and 7.0 mm, is under development.