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Thunderstorm Nowcasting Using Ground-Based Microwave Radiometer Brightness Temperature Measurements

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Abstract

The use of a ground-based multi-wavelength microwave radiometer (MWR) to produce atmospheric thermodynamic profiles of the troposphere up to 10 km utilizing brightness temperature derived from 35 different frequency channels for nowcasting severe convective weather is discussed in this study. In June 2014, MWR was implemented over Sriharikota (SHAR). The radiometer's measurements are first compared against temperature and humidity profiles of upper-air ascents to determine their accuracy. The goal of this research is to show the relationship between brightness temperature and thunderstorms that happened above SHAR. We found that combining the brightness temperature of the oxygen line in the atmosphere with the brightness temperature of the water vapour line provides far better antecedent signalling of convective occurrences over Sriharikota than the thermodynamic indicators which did not show any prominent results for thunderstorm nowcasting.

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Correspondence to R. Pushpa Saroja.

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Saroja, R.P., Rajasekhar, M., Naidu, C.V. et al. Thunderstorm Nowcasting Using Ground-Based Microwave Radiometer Brightness Temperature Measurements. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 51, 2285–2294 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12524-023-01757-2

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