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NASA NTRS2020

A New Look at the Environmental Conditions Favorable to Secondary Ice Production

This study attempts a new identification of mechanisms of secondary ice production (SIP) based on the observation of small faceted ice crystals (hexagonal plates or columns) with typical sizes smaller than 100µm. Due to their young age, such small ice crystals can be used as tracers for identifying the conditions for SIP. Observations reported here were conducted in oceanic tropical mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) and midlatitude frontal clouds in the temperature range from 0 to −15◦C and heavily seeded by aged ice particles. It was found that in both MCSs and frontal clouds, SIP was observed right above the melting layer and extended to higher altitudes with colder temperatures. The roles of six possible mechanisms to generate the SIP particles are assessed using additional observations. In most observed SIP cases, small secondary ice particles spatially correlated with liquid-phase, vertical updrafts and aged rimed ice particles. However, in many cases, neither graupel nor liquid drops were observed in the SIP regions, and therefore, the conditions for an active Hallett–Mossop process were not met. In many cases, large concentrations of small pristine ice particles were observed right above the melting layer, starting at temperatures as warm as −0.5◦C. It is proposed that the initiation of SIP above the melting layer is stimulated by the recirculation of large liquid drops through the melting layer with convective turbulent updrafts. After re-entering a super cooled environment above the melting layer, they impact with aged ice, freeze, and shatter. The size of the splinters generated during SIP was estimated as 10µm or less. A principal conclusion of this work is that only the freezing drop-shattering mechanism could be clearly supported by the airborne in situ observations.

Korolev, Alexei↗

NASA NTRS2011

Correcting Attenuation of Reflectivity in Terminal Doppler Weather Radar

This paper documents the implementation of the algorithm for correcting attenuations in the TDWR reflectivity, and examines the impacts of performing the correction algorithm on the accuracy of the resultant precipitation products on the basis of stage IV gauge-radar analyses over six storm events (four warm season events and two cool season events). Three primary findings are summarized below: 1. Correcting for attenuation tends to improve the overall bias, the conditional bias, and the correlation between the TDWR-based rainfall estimates and stage IV values regardless of season and correction schemes. 2. Attenuation correction is overall beneficial to the accuracy of resulting rainfall estimates for the warm season. By contrast, for the cool season, despite potential improvements in the bias and correlation, attenuation correction can be undesirable when there is clear evidence of bright band enhancement arising from low freezing levels. To elaborate, in these situations spurious high precipitation rates over the melting layer can yield elevated values in specific attenuation factor K, which in turn, may lead to an artificially higher reflectivity adjustment at farther range. 3. Ingesting 3-D spatially variable RUC temperature and imposing a temperature threshold in general tend to degrade the accuracy of corrected rainfall estimates for the warm season. For the cool season, in theory they would help avoid applying correction to areas within and above the melting layer. In practice, due to the variable depth of the melting layer below the freezing level, it is difficult to determine the temperature for the lower boundary of the melting layer a priori.

Ding, Feng↗

NASA NTRS2024

High Ice Water Content in Tropical Mesoscale Convective Systems (A Conceptual Model)

The phenomenon of high ice water content (HIWC) occurs in mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) when a large number of small ice particles with typical sizes of a few hundred micrometers, concentrations of the order of 10 2 –10 3 L −1 , and IWC exceeding 1 g m −3 are present at high altitudes. HIWC regions in MCSs may extend vertically up to 10 km above the melting layer and horizontally up to hundreds of kilometers, filling large volumes of the convective systems. HIWC has great geophysical significance due to its effect on precipitation formation, the hydrological cycle, and the radiative properties of MCSs. It is also recognized as a hazard for commercial aviation operations since it can result in engine power loss and in the malfunctioning of aircraft data probes. This study summarizes observational and numerical simulation efforts leading to the development of a conceptual model for the production of HIWC in tropical MCSs based on the data collected during the HAIC–HIWC campaign. It is hypothesized that secondary ice production (SIP) in the vicinity of the melting layer plays a key role in the formation and sustainability of HIWC. In situ observations suggest that the major SIP mechanism in the vicinity of the melting layer is related to the fragmentation of freezing drops (FFDs). Both in situ data and numerical simulations suggest that the recirculation of drops through the melting layer led to the amplification of SIP. The proposed conceptual model and simulation results motivate further efforts to extend reproducible laboratory measurements.

high ice water content↗

NASA NTRS2004

A Study of the Response of Deep Tropical Clouds to Mesoscale Processes: Sensitivities to Microphysics, Radiation, and Surface Fluxes - Part 2

The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model is used to examine the sensitivities of surface fluxes, explicit radiation, and ice microphysical processes on multi-day simulations of deep tropical convection over the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE). The simulations incorporate large-scale advective temperature and moisture forcing, as well as large-scale momentum, that are updated every time step on a periodic lateral boundary grid. This study shows that when surface fluxes are eliminated, the mean atmosphere is much cooler and drier, convection and CAPE are much weaker, precipitation is less, and cloud coverage in stratiform regions much greater. Surface fluxes using the TOGA COARE flux algorithm are weaker than with the aerodynamic formulation, but closer to the observed fluxes. In addition, similar trends noted above for the case without surface fluxes are produced for the TOGA flux case, albeit to a much lesser extent. The elimination of explicit shortwave and longwave radiation is found to have only minimal effects on the mean thermodynamics, convection, and precipitation. However explicit radiation does have a significant impact on cloud temperatures and structure above 200 mb and on the overall mean vertical circulation. The removal of ice processes produces major changes in the structure of the cloud. Much of the liquid water is transported aloft and into anvils above the melting layer (600 mb), leaving narrow, but intense bands of rainfall in convective regions. The elimination of melting processes leads to greater hydrometeor mass below the melting layer, and produces a much warmer and moister boundary layer, leading to a greater mean CAPE. Finally, the elimination of the graupel species has only a small impact on mean total precipitation, thermodynamics, and dynamics of the simulation, but does produce much greater snow mass just above the melting layer. Some of these results differ from previous CRM studies of tropical systems, which is likely due to the type of simulated system, total time integration, and model setup.

Johnson, Daniel↗

NASA NTRS2022

Direct Comparisons Between GPM-DPR and CloudSat Snowfall Retrievals

Two spaceborne radars currently in orbit enable the sampling of snowfall near the surface and throughout the atmospheric column, namely, CloudSat’s Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) and the Global Precipitation Measurement mission’s Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (GPM-DPR). In this paper, a direct comparison of the CPR’s 2C-SNOW-PROFILE (2CSP), the operational GPM-DPR algorithm (2ADPR) and a neural network (NN) retrieval applied to the GPM-DPR data is performed using coincident observations between both radars. Examination of over 3500 profiles within moderate to strong precipitation (Ka band ≥ 18 dBZ) show that the NN retrieval provides the closest retrieval of liquid equivalent precipitation rate R immediately above the melting level to the R retrieved just below the melting layer, agreeing within 5%. Meanwhile, 2CSP retrieves a maximum value of R at −15°C, decreases by 35% just above the melting layer, and is about 50% smaller than the GPM-DPR retrieved R below the melting layer. CPR-measured reflectivity shows median reduction of 2–3 dB from −15° to −2.5°C, likely the reason for the 2CSP retrieval reduction of R . Two case studies from NASA field campaigns [i.e., Olympic Mountains Experiment (OLYMPEX) and Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS)] provide analogs to the type of precipitating systems found in the comparison between retrieval products. For the snowfall events that GPM-DPR can observe, this work suggests that the 2CSP retrieval is likely underestimating the unattenuated reflectivity, resulting in a potential negative, or low, bias in R . Future work should investigate how frequently the underestimated reflectivity profiles occur within the CPR record and quantify its potential effects on global snowfall accumulation estimation.

Atmosphere↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Simulating Ordinary Chondrite (Tamdakht) Ablation at the Hypersonic Materials Environmental Test System (HyMETS) Facility.

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) created the Asteroid Threat Assessment Project (ATAP) to inform decision-makers of risks associated with Potentially Hazardous Objects (PHOs), which may pose an existential threat to human civilization. ATAP assesses risk, in part, by developing analytical physics-based damage models which draw upon data collected during material property characterization efforts, entry simulations, hazard simulations, and ground-based arc-jet testing. Therefore, a pathfinder test campaign was con-ducted at the Hypersonic Materials Environmental Test System (HyMETS) at the NASA Langley Re-search Center to investigate the ablation mechanisms of an ordinary chondrite (Tamdakht H5) and a terrestrial analog (basalt). The HyMETS facility is a 400 kW constricted arc heater used to screen material performance under simulated aerothermal conditions of hypersonic flow.1 Facility conditions were chosen to simulate Earth entry conditions be-tween the upper-mesosphere and the lower thermo-sphere. The ablation mechanisms of Tamdakht and bas-alt are illustrated with still images collected from high-speed video cameras (fig. 1, Tamdakht). Tamdakht produces a relatively stable melt flow, as evidenced by the perpetual growth of a flange at the sidewall and the exiguous detachment of molten material into the flow. Furthermore, an inspection of high-speed video and chemical analysis of the post-test melt layer suggests that the dominant mode of mass loss for Tamdakht, at these test conditions, is expressed through the vaporization of volatiles (e.g., iron, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, and sulfur). The vaporization rates of Tamdakht are greater than basalt under the most extreme test conditions, which leads to an enhanced blowing layer, in-creased thermal shielding, and reduced recession. The ablation mechanisms of basalt are markedly different from Tamdakht and are attributed to the presence of hydrated minerals dispersed at irregular intervals throughout the silicate matrix. Rapid de-composition of secondary minerals and the subsequent formation of water lead to the ejection of the subsurface and overlying melt layer. Furthermore, the presence of water is suspected of lowering the viscosity of the melt layer resulting in increased mass loss near the edge of the test article where drag forces overcome rheological properties (fig. 1, bas-alt). Finally, the results will be discussed in the broader context of meteorite-based material response model development and the potential impact on the Asteroid Threat Assessment Project (ATAP).

Brody K. Bessire↗

NASA NTRS2014

Double Bright Band Observations with High-Resolution Vertically Pointing Radar, Lidar, and Profiles

On 11 May 2010, an elevated temperature inversion associated with an approaching warm front produced two melting layers simultaneously, which resulted in two distinct bright bands as viewed from the ER-2 Doppler radar system, a vertically pointing, coherent X band radar located in Greenbelt, MD. Due to the high temporal resolution of this radar system, an increase in altitude of the melting layer of approximately 1.2 km in the time span of 4 min was captured. The double bright band feature remained evident for approximately 17 min, until the lower atmosphere warmed enough to dissipate the lower melting layer. This case shows the relatively rapid evolution of freezing levels in response to an advancing warm front over a 2 h time period and the descent of an elevated warm air mass with time. Although observations of double bright bands are somewhat rare, the ability to identify this phenomenon is important for rainfall estimation from spaceborne sensors because algorithms employing the restriction of a radar bright band to a constant height, especially when sampling across frontal systems, will limit the ability to accurately estimate rainfall.

ER-2 Doppler radar↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Single-Scattering Properties of Melting Precipitation for GPM Passive Microwave and Radar Remote Sensing Applications

Over the past two decades, detailed computational simulations of the intricate three dimensional structures of ice-phase crystals and aggregates of those crystals have been developed. The microwave single-scattering properties of these simulated ice particles have been computed and used to improve quantitative estimates of snow rates and to better deRne the vertical structure of snow water contents in deep convective systems, as derived from satellite-borne passive microwave and/or radar remote sensing measurements. The same icephase particles have more recently been used as the starting point for simulations of melting precipitation using computational melting methods. In the current study, a heuristic melting method, as well as a physically-based melting procedure based on smoothed-particle hydrodynamics, are applied to ice particle models to describe the full evolution of the particles from dry snow to liquid drops. The discrete dipole approximation is utilized to calculate the single-scattering properties of the mixed-phase particles throughout the melting process. Then, the properties of the particles are “mapped” into simpliRed microphysical simulations of particle size spectra in the melting layers of stratiform, precipitating clouds. The bulk single-scattering properties of the melting layers and the sensitivity of their properties to modeling assumptions are explored, and the implications for combined radar-radiometer precipitation remote sensing from GPM are discussed.

William S Olson↗

NASA NTRS2014

Drop Size Distribution - Based Separation of Stratiform and Convective Rain

For applications in hydrology and meteorology, it is often desirable to separate regions of stratiform and convective rain from meteorological radar observations, both from ground-based polarimetric radars and from space-based dual frequency radars. In a previous study by Bringi et al. (2009), dual frequency profiler and dual polarization radar (C-POL) observations in Darwin, Australia, had shown that stratiform and convective rain could be separated in the log10(Nw) versus Do domain, where Do is the mean volume diameter and Nw is the scaling parameter which is proportional to the ratio of water content to the mass weighted mean diameter. Note, Nw and Do are two of the main drop size distribution (DSD) parameters. In a later study, Thurai et al (2010) confirmed that both the dual-frequency profiler based stratiform-convective rain separation and the C-POL radar based separation were consistent with each other. In this paper, we test this separation method using DSD measurements from a ground based 2D video disdrometer (2DVD), along with simultaneous observations from a collocated, vertically-pointing, X-band profiling radar (XPR). The measurements were made in Huntsville, Alabama. One-minute DSDs from 2DVD are used as input to an appropriate gamma fitting procedure to determine Nw and Do. The fitted parameters - after averaging over 3-minutes - are plotted against each other and compared with a predefined separation line. An index is used to determine how far the points lie from the separation line (as described in Thurai et al. 2010). Negative index values indicate stratiform rain and positive index indicate convective rain, and, moreover, points which lie somewhat close to the separation line are considered 'mixed' or 'transition' type precipitation. The XPR observations are used to evaluate/test the 2DVD data-based classification. A 'bright-band' detection algorithm was used to classify each vertical reflectivity profile as either stratiform or convective, depending on whether or not a clearly-defined melting layer is present at an expected height, and if present, maximum reflectivity within the melting layer as well as the corresponding height are determined. We will present results of quantitative comparisons between the XPR observations-based classifications and the simultaneous 2DVD data-based classifications. Time series comparisons will be presented for thirteen events in Huntsville.

Thurai, Merhala↗

NASA NTRS2004

High-Resolution Simulation of Hurricane Bonnie (1998): Water Budget - Part 2

The Pennsylvania State University-National Center for Atmospheric Research mesoscale model MM5 is used to simulate Hurricane Bonnie at high resolution (2-km spacing) in order to examine budgets of water vapor, cloud condensate, and precipitation. Virtually all budget terms are derived directly from the model (except for the effects of storm motion). The water vapor budget reveals that a majority of the condensation in the eyewall occurs in convective hot towers, while outside of the eyewall most of the condensation occurs in weak updrafts, indicative of a dominance of stratiform precipitation processes. The ocean source of water vapor in the eyewall region is only a very small fraction of that transported inward in the boundary layer inflow or that condensed in the updrafts. In contrast, in the outer regions, the ocean vapor source is larger owing to the larger area, counters the drying effect of low-level subsidence, and enhances the moisture transported in toward the eyewall. In this mature storm, cloud condensate is consumed as rapidly as it is produced. Cloud water peaks at the top of the boundary layer and within the melting layer, where. cooling from melting enhances condensation. Unlike squall lines, in the hurricane, very little condensate produced in the eyewall convection is transported outward into the surrounding precipitation area. Most of the mass ejected outward is likely in the form of small snow particles that seed the outer regions and enhance stratiform precipitation development through additional growth by vapor deposition and aggregation. In addition, artificial source terms for cloud and precipitation mass associated with setting negative mixing ratios, produced as a result of numerical advection errors, to zero are described. Although small at any given point and time, the cumulative effect of these terms contributes an amount of mass equivalent to 13% of the total condensation. Thus, these terms must be accounted for to balance the model budgets and the results suggest the need for improved model numerics.

Braun, Scott A.↗

NASA NTRS2005

The Water Budget of a Simulated Hurricane

The Pennsylvania State University-National Center for Atmospheric Research mesoscale model MM5 is used to simulate Hurricane Bonnie at high resolution (2-km spacing) in order to examine budgets of water vapor, cloud condensate, and precipitation. Virtually all budget terms are derived directly from the model (except for the effects of storm motion). The water vapor budget reveals that a majority of the condensation in the eyewall occurs in convective hot towers, while outside of the eyewall most of the condensation occurs in weaker updrafts, indicative of a larger role of stratiform precipitation processes. The ocean source of water vapor in the eyewall region is only a very small fraction of that transported inward in the boundary layer inflow or that condensed in the updrafts. In contrast, in the outer regions, the ocean vapor source is larger owing to the larger area, counters the drying effect of low-level subsidence, and enhances the moisture transported in toward the eyewall. In this mature storm, cloud condensate is consumed as rapidly as it is produced. Cloud water peaks at the top of the boundary layer and within the melting layer, where cooling from melting enhances condensation. Unlike in squall lines, in the hurricane, very little condensate produced in the eyewall convection is transported outward into the surrounding precipitation area. Most of the mass ejected outward is likely in the form of small snow particles that seed the outer regions and enhance in situ stratiform precipitation development through additional growth by vapor deposition and aggregation. We examine artificial source terms for cloud and precipitation mass associated with setting to zero negative mixing ratios that arise from numerical advection errors. Although small at any given point and time, the cumulative effect of these terms contributes an amount of mass equivalent to 13% of the total condensation and 15-20% of the precipitation. Thus, these terms must be accounted for to balance the model budgets and the results suggest the need for improved model numerics.

Braun, S.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Thermochemical erosion

A quasi-steady multidimensional Stefan problem is treated by means of similarity, asymptotic methods, and numerical analysis. The continuous wearing away of a solid 'erodee' is effected by gradual consumption of a solid 'eroder'. In the process under study, the erodee melts and the (liquid) melt diffuses to the eroder, where an exothermic, indefinitely rapid, diffusion-controlled surface reaction occurs. The products of reaction convey some of the chemically-generated heat to the surface of the erodee, so that further melting may occur, and the process may proceed. The analysis seeks to estimate the quasi-steady rates of consumption of the erodee and eroder, for the (convenient) self-similar case of confocal parabolas defining the boundaries of the melt layer. The analysis is simplified by observing that the flow is of lubrication-theory type: creeping, primarily unidirectional motion owing to the thinness of the melt layer between the erodee and eroder, with diffusion of heat and mass predominantly perpendicular to the principal motion. The analysis is completed by consideration of the force balance on the eroder.

Butler, Gerald↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Simulating Meteor Ablation at the Hypersonic Materials Environmental Test System

The ablation mechanisms of stony meteorite material and a terrestrial analog were investigated at the Hypersonic Materials Environmental Test System (HyMETS) facility at NASA’s Langley Research Center. The primary analyte (Tamdakht-H5) and arc-jet test conditions were chosen to simulate the entry of an ordinary chondrite through the Earth’s mesosphere. Basalt was selected to compare the meteorite response against material with enhanced polymerization and an elevated concentration of volatile species. The initial ablation process for each material commences with the vaporization of volatile species and germination of a viscous melt layer on the stagnation surface. However, each material exhibited distinct mass loss mechanisms, with basalt recessing at twice the rate of Tamdakht. Inspection of high-speed video and chemical analysis of the post-test melt layer suggests the dominant mode of mass loss of Tamdakht is expressed through the vaporization of volatile compounds. Vaporization rates of Tamdakht are 18x higher than basalt under the most severe test conditions which provides enhanced thermal shielding. Furthermore, Tamdakht produces a relatively stable melt flow, as evidenced by perpetual growth at the sidewall and the exiguous detachment of molten material into the flow. The ablation mechanism of basalt is markedly different from Tamdakht and is governed by volatile species in the virgin material. The dominant mode of mass loss for basalt is attributed to the detachment of large sections of the stagnation surface near the edge radius. An additional but subordinate mode of mass loss is assigned to the removal of melt flow as it passes over the edge radius, where shear forces overcome the rheological properties of the molten matter. Finally, mechanistic details will be discussed in terms of designing future test campaigns, developing meteorite-based materials response models, and impacting the broader scope of the Asteroid Threat Assessment Project (ATAP).

Meteor Ablation↗

NASA NTRS1992

Dual-polarization characteristics of the radar ocean return in the presence of rain

Experimental data are presented on the polarimetric and dual-wavelength characteristics of the ocean surface in the presence of rain. To explain a portion of the variability observed in scatter plots under rain conditions, a storm model is used that incorporates measured drop size distributions. The fairly large variability indicates that effects of drop size distribution and the presence of partially melted particles can introduce a significant error in the estimate of attenuation. This effect is especially significant in the case of a 10-GHz radar under high rain rates. A surface reference method at this frequency will tend to overestimate the rain attenuation unless melting layer attenuation is properly taken into account. Observations of the cross-polarization return in stratiform rain over an ocean surface show three distinct components. Two of these correspond to aspherical, nonaligned particles in the melting layer seen in the direct and mirror-image returns. The remaining part depends both on the off-nadir depolarization by the surface and on the rain medium. A possible mechanism for this latter effect is the bistatic scattering from the rain to the surface.

Meneghini, R.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Processing of High Resolution, Multiparametric Radar Data for the Airborne Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar APR-2

Following the successful Precipitation Radar (PR) of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, a new airborne, 14/35 GHz rain profiling radar, known as Airborne Precipitation Radar - 2 (APR-2), has been developed as a prototype for an advanced, dual-frequency spaceborne radar for a future spaceborne precipitation measurement mission. . This airborne instrument is capable of making simultaneous measurements of rainfall parameters, including co-pol and cross-pol rain reflectivities and vertical Doppler velocities, at 14 and 35 GHz. furthermore, it also features several advanced technologies for performance improvement, including real-time data processing, low-sidelobe dual-frequency pulse compression, and dual-frequency scanning antenna. Since August 2001, APR-2 has been deployed on the NASA P3 and DC8 aircrafts in four experiments including CAMEX-4 and the Wakasa Bay Experiment. Raw radar data are first processed to obtain reflectivity, LDR (linear depolarization ratio), and Doppler velocity measurements. The dataset is then processed iteratively to accurately estimate the true aircraft navigation parameters and to classify the surface return. These intermediate products are then used to refine reflectivity and LDR calibrations (by analyzing clear air ocean surface returns), and to correct Doppler measurements for the aircraft motion. Finally, the the melting layer of precipitation is detected and its boundaries and characteristics are identifIed at the APR-2 range resolution of 30m. The resulting 3D dataset will be used for validation of other airborne and spaceborne instruments, development of multiparametric rain/snow retrieval algorithms and melting layer characterization and statistics.

airborne radar↗

NASA NTRS2016

Utilizing the Vertical Variability of Precipitation to Improve Radar QPE

Characteristics of the melting layer and raindrop size distribution can be exploited to further improve radar quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE). Using dual-polarimetric radar and disdrometers, we found that the characteristic size of raindrops reaching the ground in stratiform precipitation often varies linearly with the depth of the melting layer. As a result, a radar rainfall estimator was formulated using D(sub m) that can be employed by polarimetric as well as dual-frequency radars (e.g., space-based radars such as the GPM DPR), to lower the bias and uncertainty of conventional single radar parameter rainfall estimates by as much as 20%. Polarimetric radar also suffers from issues associated with sampling the vertical distribution of precipitation. Hence, we characterized the vertical profile of polarimetric parameters (VP3)-a radar manifestation of the evolving size and shape of hydrometeors as they fall to the ground-on dual-polarimetric rainfall estimation. The VP3 revealed that the profile of ZDR in stratiform rainfall can bias dual-polarimetric rainfall estimators by as much as 50%, even after correction for the vertical profile of reflectivity (VPR). The VP3 correction technique that we developed can improve operational dual-polarimetric rainfall estimates by 13% beyond that offered by a VPR correction alone.

Precipitation↗

NASA NTRS1994

Characteristics of the vertical profiles of dual-frequency, dual-polarization radar data in stratiform rain

Airborne dual-wavelength and dual-polarization radar data are analyzed for measurements taken in stratiform rain in the western Pacific during September 1990. The focus of the paper is on the vertical profiles of the linear depolarization ratio, LDR (10 GHz); the reflectivity factor, dBZ (10 GHz); and the dual-frequency ratio, DFR (10, 34.45 GHz). Statistical characterizations of the maxima of these quantities and the relative locations at which they occur suggest that the eccentricity of the melting particles is fairly large and that the shape and size of the particles are correlated. To try to explain these features, two types of simulation are presented. In the first, a set of measured drop size distributions is used in the context of a standard model of the melting layer. Variations in snow density, as well as shape, size, and orientation distributions are used to study the relationship between these parameters and the radar measurements. To reduce the amount of ambiguity in the estimation, a second type of simulation is described in which the size distribution of the snow is estimated. Comparisons between the simulated and measured profiles indicate that radar measurements can be used to derive certain characteristics of the particle size and shape distributions in the melting layer.

Meneghini, R.↗

NASA NTRS2021

Towards a Mass-Consistent Methodology for Realistic Melting Hydrometeor Retrieval

To address the acute challenge posed by the melting layer to accurate surface precipitation retrievals from space, we en-sure the compositional consistency in ice, liquid, and total masses of synthetic melting hydrometeors with a method of stochastic compensation. The method is applied to simulated melting hydrometeors prior to calculating their scattering properties using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA). We investigate the impact of this stochastic compensation to calculated scattering properties by contrasting it with a naïve approach and report our findings.

precipitation remote sensing↗