Reliability of Precipitation Measurements as Related to Exposure

Brown, Merle J.; Peck, Eugene L.

doi:10.1175/1520-0450(1962)001<0203:ropmar>2.0.co;2

Cited by 27 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…13. Comparison experiments in various terrain and climate regions showed that precipitation measured by rain gauges with windshields or fences increases by 20% for rain and 90% for snow (e.g., Weiss 1961;Brown and Peck 1962;Yang et al 1998;Sugiura et al 2006). Raw number counts (color coded) are illustrated for the instrument's sampling area oriented (a) horizontally and tilted at (b) 138, (c) 228, (d) 378, and (e) 458 along the short axis of the instrument.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Articulating and Stationary PARSIVEL Disdrometer Measurements in Conditions with Strong Winds and Heavy Rainfall

Friedrich

Higgins

Masters

et al. 2013

Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology

133

119

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The influence of strong winds on the quality of optical Particle Size Velocity (PARSIVEL) disdrometer measurements is examined with data from Hurricane Ike in 2008 and from convective thunderstorms observed during the second Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX2) in 2010. This study investigates an artifact in particle size distribution (PSD) measurements that has been observed independently by six stationary PARSIVEL disdrometers. The artifact is characterized by a large number concentration of raindrops with large diameters (.5 mm) and unrealistic fall velocities (,1 m s 21 ). It is correlated with high wind speeds and is consistently observed by stationary disdrometers but is not observed by articulating disdrometers (instruments whose sampling area is rotated into the wind). The effects of strong winds are further examined with a tilting experiment, in which drops are dripped through the PARSIVEL sampling area while the instrument is tilted at various angles, suggesting that the artifact is caused by particles moving at an angle through the sampling area. Most of the time, this effect occurs when wind speed exceeds 20 m s 21 , although it was also observed when wind speed was as low as 10 m s 21 . An alternative quality control is tested in which raindrops are removed when their diameters exceed 8 mm and they divert from the fall velocity-diameter relationship. While the quality control does provide more realistic reflectivity values for the stationary disdrometers in strong winds, the number concentration is reduced compared to the observations with an articulating disdrometer.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Articulating and Stationary PARSIVEL Disdrometer Measurements in Conditions with Strong Winds and Heavy Rainfall

Friedrich

Higgins

Masters

et al. 2013

Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology

133

119

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“…The fact that wind induces a bias on solid precipitation measurements is well established. For example, Brown and Peck (1962) addressed the challenges of precipitation measurements re-lated to exposure in 1962. This systematic under-catch can be somewhat reduced by shielding the gauge, and various types of windshield configurations have been developed for this purpose (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Derivation of a new continuous adjustment function for correcting wind-induced loss of solid precipitation: results of a Norwegian field study

Wolff

Isaksen

Petersen‐Øverleir³

et al. 2015

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

158

174

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Abstract. Precipitation measurements exhibit large coldseason biases due to under-catch in windy conditions. These uncertainties affect water balance calculations, snowpack monitoring and calibration of remote sensing algorithms and land surface models. More accurate data would improve the ability to predict future changes in water resources and mountain hazards in snow-dominated regions.In 2010, a comprehensive test site for precipitation measurements was established on a mountain plateau in southern Norway. Automatic precipitation gauge data are compared with data from a precipitation gauge in a Double Fence Intercomparison Reference (DFIR) wind shield construction which serves as the reference. A large number of other sensors are provided supporting data for relevant meteorological parameters.In this paper, data from three winters are used to study and determine the wind-induced under-catch of solid precipitation. Qualitative analyses and Bayesian statistics are used to evaluate and objectively choose the model that best describes the data. A continuous adjustment function and its uncertainty are derived for measurements of all types of winter precipitation (from rain to dry snow). A regression analysis does not reveal any significant misspecifications for the adjustment function, but shows that the chosen model does not describe the regression noise optimally. The adjustment function is operationally usable because it is based only on data available at standard automatic weather stations.The results show a non-linear relationship between undercatch and wind speed during winter precipitation events and there is a clear temperature dependency, mainly reflecting the precipitation type. The results allow, for the first time, derivation of an adjustment function based on measurements above 7 m s −1 . This extended validity of the adjustment function shows a stabilization of the wind-induced precipitation loss for higher wind speeds.

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“…The undercatch issue has been studied for years. For example, Brown and Peck () described some of the challenges of measuring precipitation. Sevruk () proposed a method for correcting systematic errors in precipitation measurements for operational use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Precipitation fields in an alpine Mediterranean catchment: Inversion of precipitation gradient with elevation or undercatch of snowfall?

Collados‐Lara

Pardo‐Igúzquiza

Pulido-Velázquez

et al. 2018

Intl Journal of Climatology

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The mean precipitation measurements in a Mediterranean Alpine catchment in Sierra Nevada show an inversion of the gradient with the altitude beyond a certain threshold. Is it due to a real pattern or it can be explained by systematic error of solid precipitation measurement in gauges? Can we assess climatic fields in an alpine catchment from gauge measurement? This article describes a research developed to answer both questions in the Alto Genil Basin. As commonly happens in most of the basins, the spatio‐temporal information from climate gauges is limited; therefore to reduce uncertainty in estimates of climatic fields, some secondary information should be introduced. Since orographic conditions clearly influence precipitation, the relationship between this climatic variable and elevation is usually included as secondary information into the estimates. However, while there is a clear relationship between temperature and elevation, the relationship between precipitation and elevation is not so simple. In this article the analysis of the data performed allow us to demonstrate that there is a real inversion of the gradient within this Mediterranean Alpine area as other authors previously pointed in some tropical and subtropical zones. The intensity of this phenomenon and the altitude threshold from which it appears can be altered as a consequence of the undercath of the solid precipitation. To estimate precipitation fields, we have used different hypotheses about the intensity of the undercatch taking into account empirical corrections obtained for nearby mountain ranges. An analysis of the sensitivity of the results to the assumed undercatch hypothesis shows that it is not possible to estimate properly precipitation fields (the sensitivity of the results to the adopted hypothesis is high) in these alpine areas if we only have information about the precipitation measurements at the stations.

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Reliability of Precipitation Measurements as Related to Exposure

Cited by 27 publications

References 3 publications

Articulating and Stationary PARSIVEL Disdrometer Measurements in Conditions with Strong Winds and Heavy Rainfall

Articulating and Stationary PARSIVEL Disdrometer Measurements in Conditions with Strong Winds and Heavy Rainfall

Derivation of a new continuous adjustment function for correcting wind-induced loss of solid precipitation: results of a Norwegian field study

Precipitation fields in an alpine Mediterranean catchment: Inversion of precipitation gradient with elevation or undercatch of snowfall?

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