Articles | Volume 10, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2239-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2239-2017
Research article
 | 
13 Jun 2017
Research article |  | 13 Jun 2017

Evaluation of radar reflectivity factor simulations of ice crystal populations from in situ observations for the retrieval of condensed water content in tropical mesoscale convective systems

Emmanuel Fontaine, Delphine Leroy, Alfons Schwarzenboeck, Julien Delanoë, Alain Protat, Fabien Dezitter, Alice Grandin, John Walter Strapp, and Lyle Edward Lilie

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Cited articles

Alcoba, M., Gosset, M., Kacou, M., Cazenave, F., and Fontaine, E.: Characterization of Hydrometeors in Sahelian Convective Systems with an Xband radar and comparison with in situ measurements. Part 2: a simple bright band method to infer the density of icy hydrometeors, J. Appl. Meteor. Climatol., https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-15-0014.1, 2015.
Brown, P. R. A. and Francis, P. N.: Improved Measurements of the Ice Water Content in Cirrus Using a Total-Water Probe, J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol., 12, 410–414, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0426(1995)012<0410:IMOTIW>2.0.CO;2, 1995.
Davison, C., Mac Leod, J. D., Strapp, J. W., and Buttsworth, D. R.: “Isokinetic Total Water Content Probe in a Naturally Aspirating Configuration: Initial Aerodynamic Design and Testing”, 46th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, 2008.
Davison, C. R., Strapp, J. W., Lilie, L., Ratvasky, T. P., and Dumont, C.: Isokinetic TWC Evaporator Probe: Calculations and Systemic Error Analysis, 8th AIAA Atmospheric and Space Environments Conference, June 17, 2016, Washington, DC, AIAA 2016-4060, 2016.
Dezitter, F., Grandin, A., Brenguier, J.-L., Hervy, F., Schlager, H., Villedieu, P., and Zalamansky, G.: “HAIC – High Altitude Ice Crystals”, in: 5th AIAA Atmospheric and Space Environments Conference, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2013-2674, 2013.
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Short summary
In this study we evaluate a method to estimate cloud water content (CWC) knowing cloud reflectivity. Ice hydrometeors are replace by ice oblate spheroids to simulate their reflectivity. There is no assumption on the relation between mass and their size. Then, a broad range of CWCs are compared with direct measurements of CWC. The accuracy of the method is ~ ±32 %. This study is performed in areas of convective clouds where reflectivity and CWC are especially high, what makes it unique.
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