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Polarimetric Microphysical Retrievals

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Radar Polarimetry for Weather Observations

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Abstract

The retrieval of the mixing ratios for different hydrometeor types (or water and ice contents), median or mean volume diameter, and particle number concentration is the thrust of this chapter. These retrieved parameters of the bulk hydrometeor properties are suitable for assimilation into storm-scale numerical weather prediction models. The chapter starts with estimation of the liquid water content and the parameters of the drop size distribution in pure rain. Then polarimetric retrievals in ice and snow follow. Specifically, the methods for estimating the ice water content and the snow size distribution parameters are introduced. This is followed by discussion of measurement errors and validation of the retrievals in the case of mesoscale convective system. The chapter concludes with an example of the ice retrieval in a typical tropical cyclone.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

    Alexander V. Ryzhkov

  2. National Severe Storms Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Norman, OK, USA

    Dusan S. Zrnic

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  1. Alexander V. Ryzhkov
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  2. Dusan S. Zrnic
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Ryzhkov, A.V., Zrnic, D.S. (2019). Polarimetric Microphysical Retrievals. In: Radar Polarimetry for Weather Observations. Springer Atmospheric Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05093-1_11

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