Observations of Wintertime U.S. West Coast Precipitating Systems with W-Band Satellite Radar and Other Spaceborne Instruments

Matrosov, Sergey Y.

doi:10.1175/jhm-d-10-05025.1

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…Given the cold, stratiform nature of midlatitude precipitation systems, where the ice particles grow aloft (by vapor diffusion, aggregation, and rimming) and precipitate [e.g., Houze , ], we now focus on describing cross‐barrier variations of ice water content (IWC) and its vertical integral (ice water path (IWP)) within the clouds. Indeed, observational studies using CloudSat data have recently quantified that cold rain process dominates in frontal systems over the northeastern Pacific Ocean, especially to north of 40°N, and also produces higher rain rates than warm rain process [ Matrosov , , ]. Moreover, warm stratiform clouds (tops below 0°C isotherm) produce light rain and are only relevant over the subtropical offshore zones.…”

Section: Orographic Effects On Upwind Precipitating Cloud Inferred Frmentioning

confidence: 99%

Orographic effects of the subtropical and extratropical Andes on upwind precipitating clouds

Viale

Garreaud

2015

JGR Atmospheres

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The orographic effect of the Andes (30°S-55°S) on upwind precipitating clouds from midlatitude frontal systems is investigated using surface and satellite data. Rain gauges between 33°S and 44°S indicate that annual precipitation increases from the Pacific coast to the windward slopes by a factor of 1.8 ± 0.3. Hourly gauges and instantaneous satellite estimates reveal that the cross-barrier increase in annual precipitation responds to an increase in both the intensity and frequency of precipitation. CloudSat satellite data indicate that orographic effects of the Andes on precipitating ice clouds increase gradually from midlatitudes to subtropics, likely as a result of a reduction of synoptic forcing and an increase of the height of the Andes equatorward. To the south of 40°S, the thickness of clouds slightly decreases from offshore to the Andes. The total ice content increases substantially from the open ocean to the coastal zone (except to the south of 50°S, where there is no much variation over the ocean), and then experience little changes in the cross-mountain direction over the upstream and upslope sectors. Nevertheless, the maximum ice content over the upslope sector is larger and occurs at a lower level than their upwind counterparts. In the subtropics, the offshore clouds contain almost no ice, but the total and maximum ice content significantly increases toward the Andes, with values being much larger than their counterparts over the extratropical Andes. Further, the largest amounts of cloud ice are observed upstream of the tallest Andes, suggesting that upstream blocking dominates there.

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Section: Orographic Effects On Upwind Precipitating Cloud Inferred Frmentioning

confidence: 99%

Orographic effects of the subtropical and extratropical Andes on upwind precipitating clouds

Viale

Garreaud

2015

JGR Atmospheres

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“…As noted in the introduction, microphysical studies derived from ground‐based vertically pointing radar analyses and/or surface‐based disdrometer measurements of drop size distributions conducted in the Sierra Nevada during the landfall of northeast Pacific ARs show that precipitation can be characterized as a “seeder‐feeder” process, where ice crystals forming in AR flow and growing by vapor deposition, riming, and aggregation fall through the melting layer into an orographically forced feeder cloud where precipitation continues growth through warm rain processes (Cannon et al, 2017; Kingsmill et al, 2006, 2016; Martner et al, 2008; Matrosov, 2012, 2013; Matrosov et al, 2016; Neiman et al, 2017; White et al, 2015). The microphysical evolution in this AR may be likened to a seeder‐feeder process in that ice particles developed in moisture sourced from the topics in the upper part of the AR “seeded” the lower part of the AR, which consisted primarily of moisture from the midlatitudes, the boundary between the seeder and feeder zones being the 0°C isotherm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Microphysical processes acting within ARs have been interpreted primarily based on spaceborne and ground-based vertically pointing radar analyses and/or surface-based disdrometer measurements of drop size distributions (Cannon et al, 2017;Kingsmill et al, 2006Kingsmill et al, , 2016Martner et al, 2008;Matrosov, 2012Matrosov, , 2013Matrosov et al, 2016;Neiman et al, 2017;White et al, 2015). These studies together show that precipitation from landfalling northeast Pacific ARs in mountainous regions can be characterized as a "seederfeeder" process (Bergeron, 1965), where ice crystals forming in AR flow and growing by vapor deposition, riming, and aggregation fall through the melting layer into an orographically forced feeder cloud where precipitation continues growth through warm rain processes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure of an Atmospheric River Over Australia and the Southern Ocean: II. Microphysical Evolution

Finlon

Rauber

et al. 2020

JGR Atmospheres

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An atmospheric river affecting Australia and the Southern Ocean on 28-29 January 2018 during the Southern Ocean Clouds, Radiation, Aerosol Transport Experimental Study (SOCRATES) is analyzed using nadir-pointing W-band cloud radar measurements and in situ microphysical measurements from a Gulfstream-V aircraft. The AR had a two-band structure, with the westernmost band associated with a cold frontal boundary. The bands were primarily stratiform with distinct radar bright banding. The microphysical evolution of precipitation is described in the context of the tropical-and midlatitude-sourced moisture zones above and below the 0°C isotherm, respectively, identified in Part I. In the tropical-sourced moisture zone, ice particles at temperatures less than −8°C had concentrations on the order of 10 L −1 , with habits characteristic of lower temperatures, while between −8°C and −4°C, an order of magnitude increase in ice particle concentrations was observed, with columnar habits consistent with Hallett-Mossop secondary ice formation. Ice particles falling though the 0°C level into the midlatitude-sourced moisture region and melting provided "seed" droplets from which subsequent growth by collision-coalescence occurred. In this region, raindrops grew to sizes of 3 mm and precipitation rates averaged 16 mm hr −1. Plain Language Summary Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are long, narrow zones of enhanced horizontal poleward water vapor transport that have profound effects on the global hydrological cycle. This and a companion study are the first to analyze an AR affecting Australia and the Southern Ocean through an observational and modeling approach, respectively. There were two precipitation bands associated with the AR, which were primarily stratiform in character with an enhancement of radar reflectivity near the melting level. Part I showed that moisture in the upper part of the AR (above the 0°C level) was primarily sourced from the tropics, while moisture in the lower part (below the 0°C level) was primarily sourced from the middle latitudes. The microphysical evolution of precipitation through these two zones from cloud top to the ground within this AR is investigated. Ice particles forming and growing at altitudes above the 0°C level served as the "seeds" that allowed for further growth below the 0°C level as they melted and collided with droplets. The concentrations, shapes, and size distributions of the ice particles falling through each zone are presented and related to microphysical growth processes occurring within the bands.

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“…To offer cross-verification of the observations made by these two radars, a comparison with the National Mosaic and Multisensor QPE (NMQ) system, which employs the NEXRAD radar network, will be used. The vertical structure of a winter storm system will be analyzed, similar to the work done by Matrosov [ 1 ] with a west coast wintertime precipitating system. The storm chosen to be analyzed for this research occurred on the east coast on 18 January, 2009.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intercomparison of Vertical Structure of Storms Revealed by Ground-Based (NMQ) and Spaceborne Radars (CloudSat-CPR and TRMM-PR)

Fall

Cao

Hong

2013

The Scientific World Journal

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Spaceborne radars provide great opportunities to investigate the vertical structure of clouds and precipitation. Two typical spaceborne radars for such a study are the W-band Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) and Ku-band Precipitation Radar (PR), which are onboard NASA's CloudSat and TRMM satellites, respectively. Compared to S-band ground-based radars, they have distinct scattering characteristics for different hydrometeors in clouds and precipitation. The combination of spaceborne and ground-based radar observations can help in the identification of hydrometeors and improve the radar-based quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE). This study analyzes the vertical structure of the 18 January, 2009 storm using data from the CloudSat CPR, TRMM PR, and a NEXRAD-based National Mosaic and Multisensor QPE (NMQ) system. Microphysics above, within, and below the melting layer are studied through an intercomparison of multifrequency measurements. Hydrometeors' type and their radar scattering characteristics are analyzed. Additionally, the study of the vertical profile of reflectivity (VPR) reveals the brightband properties in the cold-season precipitation and its effect on the radar-based QPE. In all, the joint analysis of spaceborne and ground-based radar data increases the understanding of the vertical structure of storm systems and provides a good insight into the microphysical modeling for weather forecasts.

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Observations of Wintertime U.S. West Coast Precipitating Systems with W-Band Satellite Radar and Other Spaceborne Instruments

Cited by 8 publications

References 23 publications

Orographic effects of the subtropical and extratropical Andes on upwind precipitating clouds

Orographic effects of the subtropical and extratropical Andes on upwind precipitating clouds

Structure of an Atmospheric River Over Australia and the Southern Ocean: II. Microphysical Evolution

Intercomparison of Vertical Structure of Storms Revealed by Ground-Based (NMQ) and Spaceborne Radars (CloudSat-CPR and TRMM-PR)

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