Articles | Volume 18, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-5141-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.Vertical wind and drop size distribution retrieval with the CloudCube G-band Doppler radar
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- Final revised paper (published on 07 Oct 2025)
- Preprint (discussion started on 07 Mar 2025)
Interactive discussion
Status: closed
Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor
| : Report abuse
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RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-618', Anonymous Referee #1, 11 Mar 2025
- AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Nitika Yurk, 13 Jun 2025
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RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-618', Anonymous Referee #2, 19 May 2025
- AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Nitika Yurk, 13 Jun 2025
Peer review completion
AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
AR by Nitika Yurk on behalf of the Authors (13 Jun 2025)
Author's response
Author's tracked changes
Manuscript
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (18 Jun 2025) by Alexis Berne
RR by Israel Silber (18 Jun 2025)

RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (04 Jul 2025)
ED: Publish as is (05 Jul 2025) by Alexis Berne

AR by Nitika Yurk on behalf of the Authors (11 Jul 2025)
This manuscript describes new vertical air motion and microphysical quantity profile retrieval using a vertically pointing G-band Doppler radar. The authors provide an extensive description of the retrieval methodology, focusing on a case study demonstration using measurements collected during the CloudCube radar deployment during the EPCAPE field campaign. The retrieval itself appears pretty robust and is quite elegant. However, it does suffer from some limitations and caveats; most notably, deficient uncertainty analysis and lack of scenarios applicable for this method. On that note, it should be emphasized that the authors mention that they collected only a few instances during 2 out of 13 measurement days (case applicability < 2/13*100 = 16%). Those instances were the only times during which data suitable for the retrieval algorithm were collected – l. 108-109. Such a major limitation should be discussed in detail and acknowledged in the summary/conclusions and abstract, or otherwise, readers could develop the perception that this method is generalized and applicable to most, if not all, precipitation conditions (with matching drop sizes). Other than that, the manuscript is generally well written but has some inaccuracies and inconsistencies that should be corrected. I recommend major revisions even though I think there are straightforward solutions to most, if not all, of my major comments.
Major comments:
Perhaps most importantly, how is the dissipation rate retrieved (implicit in sigma_v_air)? This could have a critical impact on the forward-calculated variables and the conditions discussed in O’Connor et al. (2010) might bot be applicable here, for example
Are those inaccuracies mentioned above implemented in the actual retrieval? How is the resolved turbulent broadening convolved in the actual spectra as per eq. 1?
Minor comments:
Also, is the reflectivity here really in linear units? This appears inconsistent with the dBZ units in fig. 2b. Same goes for N(r), which seems more log-scale than linear.
Also, I think that a large fraction of readers would be interested in the vertical air motion aspect of this retrieval (as the manuscript title suggests) - recommend adding profiles to this figure.