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Iguchi, Taka

Publications and source records attributed to Iguchi, Taka.

TRACER Lightning Mapping Array Field Campaign Report

Our observational contribution to the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER) was the deployment of additional Lightning Mapping Array sensors to provide enhanced capability to the Houston Lightning Mapping Array (HLMA) during the TRACER intensive operational period. To that end, the Texas Tech University personnel (Professor Bruning and Dr. Brunner, and graduate students Jessica Souza, David Singewald, Stephanie Weiss, and Matthew Miller) deployed two portable LMA antennae at locations G and B shown in the map below. The map also shows the predicted lightning flash detection efficiency in black contours, as well as color-shaded very-high-frequency (VHF) source detection efficiency, which roughly corresponds to the sensitivity to lightning channel detail. Feeds from these sensors were integrated in the HLMA processing in real-time and in post-processing, partially leveraging National Science Foundation support through the TRACER campaign that supported the core HLMA, operated by Timothy Logan.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Goddard Latent Heating (LH) Retrieval Algorithm

Rainfall production is a fundamental process within the Earth's hydrological cycle because it represents both a principal forcing term in surface water budgets, and its energetics corollary, latent heating, is the principal source of atmospheric diabatic heating. Latent heat release itself is a consequence of phase changes between the vapor, liquid, and frozen states of water. The properties of the vertical distribution of latent heat release modulate large-scale meridional and zonal circulations within the Tropics - as well as modify the energetic efficiencies of mid-latitude weather systems. This paper highlights the retrieval of latent heat release from satellite measurements generated by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) satellite observatory, which were launched in November 1997 and February 2014, respectively. Both TRMM and GPM measurements have been providing an accurate four-dimensional account of rainfall over the global Tropics and mid-latitudes: information that can be used to estimate the space-time structure of latent heating. Two sets of latent heating retrieval algorithm methodologies (Goddard Convective-Stratiform or CSH, and Japan Spectral Latent Heating or SLH) have been developed to estimate latent heating based on rain rate profile retrievals obtained from TRMM and GPM measurements. The CSH algorithm will be described followed by a discussion its improvements and performance against the combined derived surface ran rates. We will also present the CSH retrieved LH for TRMM and GPM.

Tao, Wei-Kuo↗

Latent Heating Algorithm

Rainfall production is a fundamental process within the Earth's hydrological cycle because it represents both a principal forcing term in surface water budgets, and its energetics corollary, latent heating, is the principal source of atmospheric diabatic heating. Latent heat release itself is a consequence of phase changes between the vapor, liquid, and frozen states of water. The properties of the vertical distribution of latent heat release modulate large-scale meridional and zonal circulations within the Tropics - as well as modify the energetic efficiencies of mid-latitude weather systems. This paper highlights the retrieval of latent heat release from satellite measurements generated by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission satellite observatory, which were launched in November 1997 and February 2014, respectively. Both TRMM and GPM measurements have been providing an accurate four-dimensional account of rainfall over the global Tropics and mid-latitudes: information that can be used to estimate the space-time structure of latent heating.Two sets of latent heating (LH) retrieval algorithm methodologies (Goddard Convective-Stratiform Heating or CSH, and Japan's Spectral Latent Heating or SLH) have been developed to estimate latent heating based on rain rate profile retrievals obtained from TRMM and GPM measurements. The differences and similarities between the CSH and SLH algorithm designs will be presented. The presentation then will provide the results of LH structures derived from the TRMM and GPM. At the end of presentation, the further research on latent heating retrieval from satellites will be discussed.

Tao, Wei-Kuo↗

Latent Heating from TRMM and GPM Measurement

The Goddard Convective-Stratiform Heating (CSH) algorithm, used to estimate cloud heating in support of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), is upgraded in support of the Global Precipitation Measurement mission (GPM). The algorithm is required to use look-uptables (LUTs) from cloud-resolving model (CRM) simulations from the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model (GCE). This paper will present the heating retrievals from the Goddard CSH algorithm in the TRMM and GPM using precipitation products (rainfall, radar reflectivity).

Latent Heating↗