scholarly journals Applications of QC and Merged Doppler Spectral Density Data from Ka-Band Cloud Radar to Microphysics Retrieval and Comparison with Airplane in Situ Observation

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 1595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liu ◽  
Dong ◽  
Cao ◽  
Su

The new Chinese Ka-band solid-state transmitter cloud radar (CR) uses four operational modes with different pulse widths and coherent integration and non-coherent integration numbers to meet long-term cloud measurement requirements. The CR and an instrument-equipped aircraft were used to observe clouds and precipitation on the east side of Taihang Mountain in Hebei Province in 2018. To resolve the data quality problems caused by attenuation in the precipitation area; we focused on developing an algorithm for attenuation correction based on rain drop size distribution (DSD) retrieved from the merged Doppler spectral density data of the four operational modes following data quality control (QC). After dealiasing Doppler velocity and removal of range sidelobe artifacts; we merged the four types of Doppler spectral density data. Vertical air speed and DSD are retrieved from the merged Doppler spectral density data. Finally, we conducted attenuation correction of Doppler spectral density data and recalculated Doppler moments such as reflectivity; radial velocity; and spectral width. We evaluated the consistencies of reflectivity spectra from the four operational modes and DSD retrieval performance using airborne in situ observation. We drew three conclusions: First, the four operational modes observed similar reflectivity and velocity for clouds and low-velocity solid hydrometeors; however; three times of coherent integration underestimated Doppler reflectivity spectra for velocities greater than 2 m s−1. Reflectivity spectra were also underestimated for low signal-to-noise ratios in the low-sensitivity operational mode. Second, QC successfully dealiased Doppler velocity and removed range sidelobe artifacts; and merging of the reflectivity spectra mitigated the effects of coherent integration and pulse compression on radar data. Lastly, the CR observed similar DSD and liquid water content vertical profiles to airborne in situ observations. Comparing CR and aircraft data yielded uncertainty due to differences in observation space and temporal and spatial resolutions of the data.

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liping Liu ◽  
Jiafeng Zheng

The Chinese Ka-band solid-state transmitter cloud radar (CR) can operate in three different work modes with different pulse widths and coherent integration and non-coherent integration numbers to meet the requirement for long-term cloud measurements. The CR was used to observe cloud and precipitation data in southern China in 2016. In order to resolve the data quality problems caused by coherent integration and pulse compression, which are used to detect weak cloud in the cloud radar, this study focuses on analyzing the consistencies of reflectivity spectra using the three modes and the influence of coherent integration and pulse compression, developing an algorithm for Doppler spectral density data quality control (QC) and merging based on multiple-mode observation data. After dealiasing Doppler velocity and artefact removal, the three types of Doppler spectral density data were merged. Then, Doppler moments such as reflectivity, radial velocity, and spectral width were recalculated from the merged reflectivity spectra. Performance of the merging algorithm was evaluated. Three conclusions were drawn. Firstly, four rounds of coherent integration with a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 8333 Hz underestimated the reflectivity spectra for Doppler velocities exceeding 2 m·s−1, causing a large negative bias in the reflectivity and radial velocity when large drops were present. In contrast, two rounds of coherent integration affected the reflectivity spectra to a lesser extent. The reflectivity spectra were underestimated for low signal-to-noise ratios in the low-sensitivity mode. Secondly, pulse compression improved the radar sensitivity and air vertical speed observation, whereas the precipitation mode and coherent integration led to an underestimation of the number concentration of big raindrops and an overestimation of the number concentration of small drops. Thirdly, a comparison of the individual spectra with the merged reflectivity spectra showed that the Doppler moments filled in the gaps in the individual spectra during weak cloud periods, reduced the effects of coherent integration and pulse compression in liquid precipitation, mitigated the aliasing of Doppler velocity, and removed the artefacts, yielding a comprehensive and accurate depiction of most of the clouds and precipitation in the vertical column above the radar. The recalculated moments of the Doppler spectra had better quality than those merged from raw data.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 348
Author(s):  
Ningkun Ma ◽  
Liping Liu ◽  
Yichen Chen ◽  
Yang Zhang

A squall line is a type of strongly organized mesoscale convective system that can cause severe weather disasters. Thus, it is crucial to explore the dynamic structure and hydrometeor distributions in squall lines. This study analyzed a squall line over Guangdong Province on 6 May 2016 that was observed using a Ka-band millimeter-wave cloud radar (CR) and an S-band dual-polarization radar (PR). Doppler spectral density data obtained by the CR were used to retrieve the vertical air motions and raindrop size distribution (DSD). The results showed the following: First, the CR detected detailed vertical profiles and their evolution before and during the squall line passage. In the convection time segment (segment B), heavy rain existed with a reflectivity factor exceeding 35 dBZ and a velocity spectrum width exceeding 1.3 m s−1. In the PR detection, the differential reflectivity factor (Zdr) was 1–2 dB, and the large specific differential phase (Kdp) also represented large liquid water content. In the transition and stratiform cloud time segments (segments B and C), the rain stabilized gradually, with decreasing cloud tops, stable precipitation, and a 0 °C layer bright band. Smaller Kdp values (less than 0.9) were distributed around the 0 °C layer, which may have been caused by the melting of ice crystal particles. Second, from the CR-retrieved vertical air velocity, before squall line passage, downdrafts dominated in local convection and weak updrafts existed in higher-altitude altostratus clouds. In segment B, the updraft air velocity reached more than 8 m s−1 below the 0 °C layer. From segments C to D, the updrafts changed gradually into weak and wide-ranging downdrafts. Third, in the comparison of DSD values retrieved at 1.5 km and DSD values on the ground, the retrieved DSD line was lower than the disdrometer, the overall magnitude of the DSD retrieved was smaller, and the difference decreased from segments C to D. The standardized intercept parameter (Nw) and shape parameter (μ) of the DSD retrieved at 1.8 km showed good agreement with the disdrometer results, and the mass-weighted mean diameter (Dm) was smaller than that on the ground, but very close to the PR-retrieved Dm result at 2 km. Therefore, comparing with the DSD retrieved at around 2 km, the overall number concentration remained unchanged and Dm got larger on the ground, possibly reflecting the process of raindrop coalescence. Lastly, the average vertical profiles of several quantities in all segments showed that, first of all, the decrease of Nw and Dm with height in segments C and D was similar, reflecting the collision effect of falling raindrops. The trends were opposite in segment B, indicating that raindrops underwent intense mixing and rapid collision and growth in this segment. Then, PR-retrieved Dm profiles can verify the rationality of the CR-retrieved Dm. Finally, a vertical velocity profile peak generated a larger Dm especially in segments C and D.


2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 747-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Shupe ◽  
I. M. Brooks ◽  
G. Canut

Abstract. Turbulent dissipation rate retrievals from cloud radar Doppler velocity measurements are evaluated using independent, in situ observations in Arctic stratocumulus clouds. In situ validation data sets of dissipation rate are derived using sonic anemometer measurements from a tethered balloon and high frequency pressure variation observations from a research aircraft, both flown in proximity to stationary, ground-based radars. Modest biases are found among the data sets in particularly low- or high-turbulence regimes, but in general the radar-retrieved values correspond well with the in situ measurements. Root mean square differences are typically a factor of 4–6 relative to any given magnitude of dissipation rate. These differences are no larger than those found when comparing dissipation rates computed from tethered-balloon and 15-m tower sonic measurements made at spatial distances of a few hundred meters. Moreover, radar retrievals are able to capture the vertical dissipation rate structure observed by the in situ sensors, while offering substantially more information on the time variability of turbulence profiles. Together these evaluations indicate that radar-based retrievals can, at a minimum, be used to determine the vertical structure of turbulence in Arctic stratocumulus clouds.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Ding ◽  
Liping Liu

Abstract. Owing to the various shapes of ice particles, the relationships between fall velocity, backscattering cross-section, mass, and particle size are complicated, which affects the application of cloud radar Doppler spectral density data to retrieve the microphysical properties of ice crystals. In this paper, under the assumption of six particle shape types, the relationships between particle mass, fall velocity, backscattering cross-section, and particle size were established based on existing research. Variations of Doppler spectral density with the same particle size distribution (PSD) of different ice particle types are discussed, and the radar-retrieved liquid and ice PSDs, water content, and mean volume-weighted particle diameter are compared with airborne in situ observations in Xingtai, Hebei Province, China, in 2018. The results showed the following: (1) for particles with the same equivalent diameter (De), the fall velocity of aggregates is the largest, followed by hexagonal columns, hexagonal plates, sector plates, and stellar crystals, with ice spheres falling two to three times faster than ice crystals with the same De. Hexagonal columns have the largest backscattering cross-section, followed by stellar crystals and sector plates, and the backscattering cross-sections of hexagonal plates and two kinds of aggregates are very close to those of ice spheres. (2) The width of the simulated radar Doppler spectral density generated by various ice crystal types with the same PSD is mainly affected by particle fall velocity and increased fall velocity rates with increased particle size, as do PSDs retrieved from the same Doppler spectral density data. (3) PSD comparisons showed that each ice crystal type retrieved from the cloud radar corresponded well to aircraft observations within a certain scale range when assuming that only a certain type of ice crystals existed in the cloud, which can fully prove the feasibility of retrieving ice PSDs from reflectivity spectral density.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Vogl ◽  
Maximilian Maahn ◽  
Stefan Kneifel ◽  
Willi Schimmel ◽  
Dmitri Moisseev ◽  
...  

Abstract. Riming, i.e. the accretion and freezing of SLW on ice particles in mixed-phase clouds, is an important pathway for precipitation formation. Detecting and quantifying riming using ground-based cloud radar observations is of great interest, however, approaches based on measurements of the mean Doppler velocity (MDV) are unfeasible in convective and orographically influenced cloud systems. Here, we show how artificial neural networks (ANNs) can be used to predict riming using ground-based zenith-pointing cloud radar variables as input features. ANNs are a versatile means to extract relations from labeled data sets, which contain input features along with the expected target values. Training data are extracted from a data set acquired during winter 2014 in Finland, containing both Ka-band cloud radar and in-situ observations of snowfall. We focus on two configurations of input variables: ANN #1 uses the equivalent radar reflectivity factor (Ze), MDV, the width from left to right edge of the spectrum above the noise floor (spectrum edge width; SEW), and the skewness as input features. ANN #2 only uses Ze, SEW and skewness. The application of these two ANN configurations to case studies from different data sets demonstrates that both are able to predict strong riming (riming index = 1) and yield low values (riming index ≤ 0.4) for unrimed snow. In general, the predictions of ANN #1 and ANN #2 are very similar, advocating the capability to predict riming without the use of MDV. It is demonstrated that both ANN setups are able to generalize to W-band radar data. The predictions of both ANNs for a wintertime convective cloud fit coinciding in-situ observations extremely well, suggesting the possibility to predict riming even within convective systems. Application of ANN #2 to an orographic case yields high riming index values coinciding with observations of solid graupel particles at the ground.


2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1375-1385 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Shupe ◽  
I. M. Brooks ◽  
G. Canut

Abstract. Turbulent dissipation rate retrievals from cloud radar Doppler velocity measurements are evaluated using independent, in situ observations in Arctic stratocumulus clouds. In situ validation data sets of dissipation rate are derived using sonic anemometer measurements from a tethered balloon and high frequency pressure variation observations from a research aircraft, both flown in proximity to stationary, ground-based radars. Modest biases are found among the data sets in particularly low- or high-turbulence regimes, but in general the radar-retrieved values correspond well with the in situ measurements. Root mean square differences are typically a factor of 4–6 relative to any given magnitude of dissipation rate. These differences are no larger than those found when comparing dissipation rates computed from tethered-balloon and meteorological tower-mounted sonic anemometer measurements made at spatial distances of a few hundred meters. Temporal lag analyses suggest that approximately half of the observed differences are due to spatial sampling considerations, such that the anticipated radar-based retrieval uncertainty is on the order of a factor of 2–3. Moreover, radar retrievals are clearly able to capture the vertical dissipation rate structure observed by the in situ sensors, while offering substantially more information on the time variability of turbulence profiles. Together these evaluations indicate that radar-based retrievals can, at a minimum, be used to determine the vertical structure of turbulence in Arctic stratocumulus clouds.


Author(s):  
R. T. K. Baker ◽  
R. D. Sherwood

The catalytic gasification of carbon at high temperature by microscopic size metal particles is of fundamental importance to removal of coke deposits and conversion of refractory hydrocarbons into fuels and chemicals. The reaction of metal/carbon/gas systems can be observed by controlled atmosphere electron microscopy (CAEM) in an 100 KV conventional transmission microscope. In the JEOL gas reaction stage model AGl (Fig. 1) the specimen is positioned over a hole, 200μm diameter, in a platinum heater strip, and is interposed between two apertures, 75μm diameter. The control gas flows across the specimen and exits through these apertures into the specimen chamber. The gas is further confined by two apertures, one in the condenser and one in the objective lens pole pieces, and removed by an auxiliary vacuum pump. The reaction zone is <1 mm thick and is maintained at gas pressure up to 400 Torr and temperature up to 1300<C as measured by a Pt-Pt/Rh 13% thermocouple. Reaction events are observed and recorded on videotape by using a Philips phosphor-television camera located below a hole in the center of the viewing screen. The overall resolution is greater than 2.5 nm.


Author(s):  
R-R. Lee

Partially-stabilized ZrO2 (PSZ) ceramics have considerable potential for advanced structural applications because of their high strength and toughness. These properties derive from small tetragonal ZrO2 (t-ZrO2) precipitates in a cubic (c) ZrO2 matrix, which transform martensitically to monoclinic (m) symmetry under applied stresses. The kinetics of the martensitic transformation is believed to be nucleation controlled and the nucleation is always stress induced. In situ observation of the martensitic transformation using transmission electron microscopy provides considerable information about the nucleation and growth aspects of the transformation.


Author(s):  
S. Hagège ◽  
U. Dahmen ◽  
E. Johnson ◽  
A. Johansen ◽  
V.S. Tuboltsev

Small particles of a low-melting phase embedded in a solid matrix with a higher melting point offer the possibility of studying the mechanisms of melting and solidification directly by in-situ observation in a transmission electron microscope. Previous studies of Pb, Cd and other low-melting inclusions embedded in an Al matrix have shown well-defined orientation relationships, strongly faceted shapes, and an unusual size-dependent superheating before melting.[e.g. 1,2].In the present study we have examined the shapes and thermal behavior of eutectic Pb-Cd inclusions in Al. Pb and Cd form a simple eutectic system with each other, but both elements are insoluble in solid Al. Ternary alloys of Al (Pb,Cd) were prepared from high purity elements by melt spinning or by sequential ion implantation of the two alloying additions to achieve a total alloying addition of up to lat%. TEM observations were made using a heating stage in a 200kV electron microscope equipped with a video system for recording dynamic behavior.


Author(s):  
K. Fukushima ◽  
N. Kohyama ◽  
A. Fukami

A film-sealed high resolution environmental cell(E.C) for observing hydrated materials had been developed by us(l). Main specification of the E.C. is as follows: 1) Accelerated voltage; 100 kV. 2) Gas in the E.C.; saturated water vapour with carrier gas of 50 Torr. 3) Thickness of gas layer; 50 μm. 4) Sealing film; evaporated carbon film(20 nm thick) with plastic microgrid. 5) Resolving power; 1 nm. 6) Transmittance of electron beam; 60% at 100 kV. The E.C. had been successfully applied to the study of hydrated halloysite(2) (3). Kaolin minerals have no interlayer water and are basically non-expandable but form intercalation compounds with some specific chemicals such as hydrazine, formamide and etc. Because of these compounds being mostly changed in vacuum, we tried to reveal the structure changes between in wet air and in vacuum of kaolin minerals intercalated with hydrazine and of hydrated state of montmori1lonite using the E.C. developed by us.


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