Summary
High spatial resolution data from an airborne microwave imaging radiometer operating at 92 and 183 GHz (0.32 and 0.16 cm wavelengths) are compared with ground-based radar data for a series of observations of precipitating convective systems. An inverse relationship between microwave brightness temperature (T B ) and radar-derived rain rate (RR) is observed. Differences in the empirical curves between midlatitude and tropical cloud systems are related to the differing microphysical and dynamical environments.
ColdT B features in the aircraft images are collocated with high reflectivity values in the radar data. Over a water back-ground, which has a low surface emissivity at these frequencies, small convection produces an increase inT B at 92 GHz due to emission by liquid water in the cloud. As the convection deepens and ice forms,T B at both frequencies decreases rapidly with increasing rain rate. The large decrease inT B with increasing storm intensity is due to scattering of upwelling radiation by precipitation-sized ice particles within the clouds. With high rain rates, there is little difference betweenT B observed over both land and water backgrounds.
TheT B features in the aircraft imagery are qualitatively similar to radar echoes in plan position indicator (PPI) images. Areas of extremely coldT B (<150 K) coincide with high radar reflectivities. The highest correlations between microwave and radar features with regard to location, intensity, and shape occur more frequently with mid-to upperlevel echoes rather than low-level reflectivity features.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brown, K. S., 1981: Cloud top scanning radiometer (CTS) user's guide. NASA Tech. Memo. 83887, Goddard Space Flight Center, 24 pp.
Curran, r. J., Kyle, H. L., Blaine, L. R., Smith, J., Clem, T. D., 1981: Multichannel scanning radiometer for remote sensing cloud physical parameters.Rev. Sci. Instrum.,52, 1546–1555.
Gagliano, J. A., McCheehy, J. J., 1981: Advanced microwave moisture sounder (AMMS) for WB-57F CCOPE mission. Tech. report for Project A-2904, Georgia Institute of Technology, 40 pp.
Griffith, C. G., Woodley, W. L., Grube, P. G., Martin, D. W., Stout, J. E., Sikdar, D. N., 1978: Rain estimation from geosynchronous satellite imagery—visible and infrared studies.Mon. Wea. Rev.,106, 1153–1171.
Heymsfield, G. M., Fulton, R., 1988: Comparison of highaltitude remote aircraft measurements with the radar structure of an Oklahoma thunderstorm: Implications for precipitation estimation from space. Accepted inMon. Wea. Rev.
Heymsfield, G. M., Ghosh, K. K., Chen, L. C., 1983: An interactive system for compositing digital radar and satellite data.J. Climate Appl. Meteor.,22, 705–713.
Hollinger, J. P., Lerner, R. M., Troy, B. E., Wisler, M. M., 1978: Joint services 5D-2 microwave scanner definition study. Naval Research Laboratory Memorandum Report 3807. Washington, D.C., 66 pp.
Huang, R., Liou, K.-N., 1983: Polarized microwave radiation transfer in precipitating cloudy atmospheres: application to window frequencies.J. Geophys. Res.,88, D3885-D3893.
Lamb, D., Hallett, J., 1982: Glaciating characteristics of Montana and Florida summer cumuli: Comparisons based on observations and modeling. Preprints, Conf. on Cloud Physics, Chicago, IL, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 374–377.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1982:National Weather Service Radar Code User's Guide. U.S. Department of Commerce, 184 pp.
Prabhakara, C., Short, D. A., Wiscombe, W., Fraser, R. S., Vollmer, B. E., 1986: Rainfall over oceans inferred from Nimbus-7 SMMR: Application to 1982–1983 El Niño.J. Climate Appl. Meteor.,25, 1464–1474.
Rodgers, E. B., Siddalingaiah, H., Chang, A. T. C., Wilheit, T. T., 1979: A statistical technique for determining rainfall over land employing Nimbus-6 ESMR measurements.J. Appl. Meteor.,18, 978–991.
Savage, R. C., 1978: The radiative properties of hydrometeors at microwave frequencies.J. Appl. Meteor.,17, 904–911.
Savage, R. C., Burgess, L., Shipley, B., 1987: The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Microwave Imager (SSM/I). Passive Microwave Observing from Satellites, Williamsburg, VA, NOAA, V-3.
Savage, R. C., Weinman, J. A., 1975: Preliminary calculations of upwelling radiance from rainclouds at 37.0 and 19.35 GHz.Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.,56, 1272–1274.
Shenk, W. E., Adler, R. F., Chesters, D., Susskind, J., Uccellini, L., 1985: The rationale and suggested approaches for research geosynchronous satellite measurements for severe storm and mesoscale investigations. NASA Tech. Memo. 86185, Goddard Space Flight Center, 29 pp.
Spencer, R. W., 1986: A satellite passive 37 GHz scattering based method for measuring oceanic rain rates.J. Climate Appl. Meteor.,25, 754–766.
Spencer, R. W., Martin, D. W., Hinton, B. B., Weinman, J. A., 1983a: Satellite microwave radiances correlated with radar rain rates over land.Nature,304, 141–143.
Spencer, R. W., Olson, W. S., Rongzhang, W., Martin, D. W., Weinman, J. A., Santek, D. A., 1983b: Heavy thunderstorms observed over land by the Nimbus-7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer.J. Climate Appl. Meteor.,22, 1041–1046.
Spinhirne, J. D., Hansen, M. Z., Caudill, L. O., 1982: Cloud top remote sensing by airborne lidar.Appl. Opt.,22, 1564–1571.
Spinhirne, J. D., Hansen, M. Z., Simpson, J., 1983: The structure and phase of cloud tops as observed by polarization lidar.J. Climate Appl. Meteor.,22, 1319–1331.
Stout, J. E., Martin, D. W., Sikdar, D. N., 1979: Estimating GATE rainfall with geosynchronous satellite images.Mon. Wea. Rev.,107, 585–598.
Szejwach, G., Adler, R. F., Jobard, I., Mack, R. A., 1986: A cloud model—radiative transfer model for determining microwaveT B -rain rate relations. Preprints, 2nd Conf. Satellite Meteor./Remote Sensing and Applications, Williamsburg, VA, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 444–449.
Weinman, J. A., Guetter, P. J., 1977: Determination of rainfall distributions from microwave radiation measured by the Nimbus-6 ESMR.J. Climate Appl. Meteor.,16, 437–442.
Wilheit, T. T., 1986: Some comments on passive measurements of rain.Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.,67, 1226–1232.
Wilheit, T. T., Chang, A. T. C., King, J. L., Rodgers, E. B., Nieman, R. A., Krupp, B. M., Milman, A. S., Stratigos, J. S., Siddalingaiah, H., 1982: Microwave radiometric observations near 19.35, 92 and 183 GHz of precipitation in Tropical Storm Cora.J. Appl. Meteor.,21, 1137–1145.
Wilheit, T. T., Chang, A. T. C., Rao, M. S. V., Rodgers, E. B., Theon, J. S., 1977: A satellite technique for quantitatively mapping raifall rates over the oceans.J. Appl. Meteor.,16, 551–560.
Wu, M.-L., 1985: Quality of remote sensing measurements of cloud physical parameters in the Convective Cooperative Convective Precipitation Experiment.J. Geophys. Res.,90, 10551–10562.
Wu, R., Weinman, J. A., 1984: Microwave radiances from precipitating clouds containing aspherical ice, combined phase, and liquid hydrometeors.J. Geophys. Res.,89, 7170–7178.
Yeh, H.-Y. M., Wu, M.-L. C., Curran, R. J., 1983: Experiments on the retrieval of cloud parameters from the AMMS and MCR data. Preprints, 5th Conf. on Atmospheric Radiation, Baltimore, MD, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 68–71.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
With 12 Figures
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hakkarinen, I.M., Adler, R.F. Observations of precipitating convective systems at 92 and 183 GHz: Aircraft results. Meteorl. Atmos. Phys. 38, 164–182 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01029780
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01029780