Anna Wilson

Describing the Shape of Raindrop Size Distributions Using Uncorrelated Raindrop Mass Spectrum Parameters

AbstractRainfall retrieval algorithms often assume a gamma-shaped raindrop size distribution (DSD) with three mathematical parameters Nw, Dm, and μ. If only two independent measurements are available, as with the dual-frequency precipitation radar on the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission core satellite, then retrieval algorithms are underconstrained and require assumptions about DSD parameters. To reduce the number of free parameters, algorithms can assume that μ is either a constant or a function of Dm. Previous studies have suggested μ–Λ constraints [where Λ = (4 + μ)/Dm], but controversies exist over whether μ–Λ constraints result from physical processes or mathematical artifacts due to high correlations between gamma DSD parameters. This study avoids mathematical artifacts by developing joint probability distribution functions (joint PDFs) of statistically independent DSD attributes derived from the raindrop mass spectrum. These joint PDFs are then mapped into gamma-shaped DSD parameter j...

An Investigation of Warm Rainfall Microphysics in the Southern Appalachians: Orographic Enhancement via Low-Level Seeder-Feeder Interactions

AbstractObservations of the vertical structure of rainfall, surface rain rates, and drop size distributions (DSDs) in the southern Appalachians were analyzed with a focus on the diurnal cycle of rainfall. In the inner mountain region, a 5-yr high-elevation rain gauge dataset shows that light rainfall, described here as rainfall intensity less than 3 mm h−1 over a time scale of 5 min, accounts for 30%–50% of annual accumulations. The data also reveal warm-season events characterized by heavy surface rainfall in valleys and along ridgelines inconsistent with radar observations of the vertical structure of precipitation. Next, a stochastic column model of advection–coalescence–breakup of warm rain DSDs was used to investigate three illustrative events. The integrated analysis of observations and model simulations suggests that seeder–feeder interactions (i.e., Bergeron processes) between incoming rainfall systems and local fog and/or low-level clouds with very high number concentrations of small drops (<0.2 ...

Orographic Land–Atmosphere Interactions and the Diurnal Cycle of Low-Level Clouds and Fog

AbstractPrevious work illuminated landform controls on moisture convergence in the southern Appalachian Mountains (SAM) promoting heterogeneity in the vertical structure of low-level clouds (LLC) and seeder–feeder interactions (SFI) that significantly impact warm season precipitation. Here, the focus is on elucidating orographic land–atmosphere interactions associated with the observed diurnal cycle of LLC and fog in the region. Three distinct hydrometeorological regimes during the Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment (IPHEx) are examined using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model. Sensitivity to the choice of planetary boundary layer parameterization was investigated in the light of IPHEx observations. Simulations using the Mellor–Yamada–Nakanishi–Niino scheme exhibit LLC and fog patterns most consistent with observations, albeit without capturing SFI. Independently of synoptic regime, the simulations reveal two distinct modes of orographic controls on atmospheric moisture convergence ...

GPM Satellite Radar Measurements of Precipitation and Freezing Level in Atmospheric Rivers: Comparison With Ground‐Based Radars and Reanalyses

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) account for more than 90% of the total meridional water vapor flux in midlatitudes, and 25–50% of the annual precipitation in the coastal western United States. In this study, reflectivity profiles from the Global Precipitation Measurement Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (GPM-DPR) are used to evaluate precipitation and temperature characteristics of ARs over the western coast of North America and the eastern North Pacific Ocean. Evaluation of GPM-DPR bright-band height using a network of ground-based vertically pointing radars along the West Coast demonstrated exceptional agreement, and comparison with freezing level height from reanalyses over the eastern North Pacific Ocean also consistently agreed, indicating that GPM-DPR can be used to independently validate freezing level in models. However, precipitation comparison with gridded observations across the western United States indicated deficiencies in GPM-DPR’s ability to reproduce the spatial distribution of winter precipitation, likely related to sampling frequency. Over the geographically homogeneous oceanic portion of the domain, sampling frequency was not problematic, and significant differences in the frequency and intensity of precipitation between GPM-DPR and reanalyses highlighted biases in both satellite-observed and modeled AR precipitation. Reanalyses precipitation rates below the minimum sensitivity of GPM-DPR accounted for a 20% increase in total precipitation, and 25% of radar-derived precipitation rates were greater than the 99th percentile precipitation rate in reanalyses. Due to differences in the proportions of precipitation in convective, stratiform bright-band, and non-bright-band conditions, AR conditions contributed nearly 10% more to total precipitation in GPM-DPR than reanalyses.