A Method to Merge WSR-88D Data with ARM SGP Millimeter Cloud Radar Data by Studying Deep Convective Systems

Abstract

Abstract A decade of collocated Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) 35-GHz Millimeter Cloud Radar (MMCR) and Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) data over the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) site have been collected during the period of 1997–2006. A total of 28 winter and 45 summer deep convective system (DCS) cases over the ARM SGP site have been selected for this study during the 10-yr period. For the winter cases, the MMCR reflectivity, on average, is only 0.2 dB lower than that of the WSR-88D, with a correlation coefficient of 0.85. This result indicates that the MMCR signals have not been attenuated for ice-phase convective clouds, and the MMCR reflectivity measurements agree well with the WSR-88D, regardless of their vastly different characteristics. For the summer nonprecipitating convective clouds, however, the MMCR reflectivity, on average, is 10.6 dB lower than the WSR-88D measurement, and the average differences between the two radar reflectivities are nearly constant with height above cloud base. Three lookup tables with Mie calculations have been generated for correcting the MMCR signal attenuation. After applying attenuation correction for the MMCR reflectivity measurements, the averaged difference between the two radars has been reduced to 9.1 dB. Within the common sensitivity range (−10 to 20 dBZ), the mean differences for the uncorrected and corrected MMCR reflectivities have been reduced to 6.2 and 5.3 dB, respectively. The corrected MMCR reflectivities were then merged with the WSR-88D data to fill in the gaps during the heavy precipitation periods. This merged dataset provides a more complete radar reflectivity profile for studying convective systems associated with heavier precipitation than the original MMCR dataset. It also provides the intensity, duration, and frequency of the convective systems as they propagate over the ARM SGP for climate modelers. Eventually, it will be possible to improve understanding of the cloud-precipitation processes, and evaluate GCM predictions using the long-term merged dataset, which could not have been done with either the MMCR or the WSR-88D dataset alone.