Classification of tropical precipitating systems and associated Z‐R relationships

Abstract

Simultaneous observations of Indian Mesosphere‐Stratosphere‐Troposphere (MST) radar, Lower Atmospheric Wind Profiler (LAWP) and disdrometer, located at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E), over two seasons are used to derive the Z‐R relationships, of the form Z = ARb, for different types of precipitation and for different seasons. Disdrometer data are classified into three types, convection, transition, and stratiform, based on the variation of the median volume diameter D0 with the rain rate R. The disdrometer classification is verified by comparing with the profilers classification, based on reflectivity (in terms of range corrected signal‐to‐noise ratio), Doppler velocity, spectral width, and vertical air velocity. Overall agreement between the two classification schemes is found to be reasonable. The variations in the coefficient A and the exponent b in the Z‐R relation for the case studies presented here are explained with the help of variations in drop size distribution parameters. From the total data the percentage occurrence of precipitation is found to be 55% stratiform, 9% convective, and 36% transition, whereas the total rainfall is 12, 54, and 34%, respectively. Interestingly, the exponent b (coefficient A) is found to be smaller (larger) in the case of stratiform (convective) precipitation than that in convective (stratiform) precipitation, in contrast to the earlier results. The values of A and b are also derived for different monsoon seasons.