1. On the optimal measuring area for pointwise rainfall estimation: a dedicated experiment with 14 laser disdrometers
- Author
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Tapiador, F. J., Navarro, A., Moreno, R., Jiménez-Alcazar, A., Marcos, C., Tokay, A., Durán Montejano, Luis, Bodoque, J. M., Martín, R., Petersen, W. P., Castro, M. de, Tapiador, F. J., Navarro, A., Moreno, R., Jiménez-Alcazar, A., Marcos, C., Tokay, A., Durán Montejano, Luis, Bodoque, J. M., Martín, R., Petersen, W. P., and Castro, M. de
- Abstract
Laser disdrometers measure the particle size distribution (PSD) of hydrometeors through a small cross-sectional (tens of square centimeters) surface. Such a limited area induces a sampling effect in the estimates of the PSD, which translates to error in the reflectivity-rain-rate (Z-R) relationship used for ground radar estimates of rainfall, estimates of kinetic energy of precipitation, and any other hydrometeorological application relying on particle size information. Here, the results of a dedicated experiment to estimate the extent of the effect of limited area sampling of rainfall are presented. Using 14 Parsivel, version 1 (Parsivel-1), disdrometers placed within 6 m(2), it was found that the combined area of at least seven disdrometers is required for the estimates to start converging to a stable value. The results can be used to quantify the degree of over-/underestimation of precipitation parameters for a single instrument due to the limited collecting area effect. It has been found that a single disdrometer may underestimate instantaneous rain rate by 70%., Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, CYTEMA (UCLM), NASA Precipitation Science, GPM programs, Depto. de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Fac. de Ciencias Físicas, TRUE, pub
- Published
- 2024