TRMM Precipitation Radar Reflectivity Profiles as Compared with High-Resolution Airborne and Ground-Based Radar Measurements
- 1 December 2000
- journal article
- Published by American Meteorological Society in Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology
- Vol. 39 (12) , 2080-2102
- https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(2001)040<2080:tprrpa>2.0.co;2
Abstract
Orbital Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar (PR) products are evaluated by simultaneous comparisons with high-resolution data from the high-altitude ER-2 Doppler radar (EDOP) and ground-based radars. The purpose is not to calibrate any radar or to validate surface rainfall estimates, but rather to evaluate the vertical reflectivity structure, which is important in TRMM rain-type classification and estimation of latent heating profiles. The radars used in this study have considerably different viewing geometries and resolutions, demanding nontrivial mapping procedures in common earth-relative coordinates. Mapped vertical cross sections and mean profiles of reflectivity from the PR, EDOP, and ground-based radars are compared for six cases. These cases cover a stratiform frontal rainband, convective cells of various sizes and stages, and a hurricane. For precipitating systems larger than the PR footprint size, PR reflectivity profiles compare very well with high-resolution... Abstract Orbital Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar (PR) products are evaluated by simultaneous comparisons with high-resolution data from the high-altitude ER-2 Doppler radar (EDOP) and ground-based radars. The purpose is not to calibrate any radar or to validate surface rainfall estimates, but rather to evaluate the vertical reflectivity structure, which is important in TRMM rain-type classification and estimation of latent heating profiles. The radars used in this study have considerably different viewing geometries and resolutions, demanding nontrivial mapping procedures in common earth-relative coordinates. Mapped vertical cross sections and mean profiles of reflectivity from the PR, EDOP, and ground-based radars are compared for six cases. These cases cover a stratiform frontal rainband, convective cells of various sizes and stages, and a hurricane. For precipitating systems larger than the PR footprint size, PR reflectivity profiles compare very well with high-resolution...Keywords
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