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Modeling of Raindrop Size Distribution Observed Using Micro Rain Radar Over Darjeeling (27.05oN, 88.26oE): An Eastern Himalayan Region

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Abstract

Micro rain radar (MRR-2) provides the measurement of the drop size distribution DSD with altitude and rain rates. In this paper, we show a new form of gamma drop size distribution (DSD) model. MRR-2 is based on the principle of Radar spectrum measurement of continuous-wave of frequency modulation. DSD measurements for the rain rates ~ 0–25 mm/h and the height from 150 to 2000 m during the south-west monsoon season for the period 2009 and 2010 are used in this study. From the variance of DSD (\(\sigma^{2}\)) and mass-weighted mean drop diameter as well as after the mathematical calculation, two parameters (\(\varLambda\) and µ) are obtained for the use of lower-order moments. Both the moments are utilized for the best suitable of gamma DSD. Measured DSD for the different rain rates and different altitudes below the melting layer height (~ 2–3 km) compared among the exponential, lognormal and gamma DSD model over Darjeeling in the Eastern Himalaya. The correlation between best fit measured DSD and gamma distribution indicate that they correlate well for both lower and higher order moments for the heights 150 m and 1050 m. Whereas they correlated only for higher order moments for the 450 m, 1500 m and 1950 m. Thus, it is found that the observed pattern of DSD agrees well to the gamma DSD model.

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Acknowledgements

This work is fully supported by Intensification of Research in High Priority Area (IRHPA), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India. We thank technical team members of the IRHPA project at Bose Institute for taking the MRR observations. First author (SM) is thankful to Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India for providing the fellowship under IRHPA project. Authors thank to SRM HPCC for processing the Global 30-arc-second topography data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physics, Center for Astroparticle Physics and Space Science, Bose Institute, Salt Lake, Sector-5, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India

    Shyam Mehta, Soumendra Singh, Amitabha Mitra, Sanjay K. Ghosh & Sibaji Raha

  2. Research Institute, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRM IST), Kattankulathur, 603203, India

    S. K. Mehta

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  1. Shyam Mehta
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  2. Soumendra Singh
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  3. Amitabha Mitra
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  4. Sanjay K. Ghosh
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  6. S. K. Mehta
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Correspondence to Shyam Mehta.

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Mehta, S., Singh, S., Mitra, A. et al. Modeling of Raindrop Size Distribution Observed Using Micro Rain Radar Over Darjeeling (27.05oN, 88.26oE): An Eastern Himalayan Region. Pure Appl. Geophys. 177, 2959–2976 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-019-02370-6

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