Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

Science Rendezvous > 2009 Posters
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Uncertainties in raindrop size distributions retrieved from profiling radars using ensemble statistics

Christopher R. Williams

While vertically pointing profilers have been used in the past to estimate the vertical profile of raindrop size distributions (DSDs), uncertainty estimates of each retrieved parameter (reflectivity /Z/, median raindrop size diameter /D_0 /, and rain rate /R/) have not been fully characterized. Understanding the uncertainties of each retrieved parameter is needed in order to understand the error characteristics of scanning polarimetric radar based and satellite based rain rate retrieval algorithms.

Ensemble statistics are used to quantify the uncertainties of profiler derived DSD parameters. In this methodology, the same profiler spectrum is used as the input into 42 different retrieval models to estimate the median and spread of the retrieved parameters. Using several rain events observed near Darwin, Australia, the ensemble statistics suggest that the uncertainty in /D_0 / and /R/ retrieved from profiling radars are typically less than 15% and 30%, respectively.