Discernment of near-oceanic precipitating clouds into convective or stratiform based on Z–R model over an Asian monsoon tropical site

Abstract

Type of precipitating near-oceanic clouds are found out and tracked by inferring it from the near-surface empirical relationships of rainfall rate and radar reflectivity (Z–R), which are established using a micro-rain radar (MRR) and a Joss–Waldvogel disdrometer at a tropical coastal station Thiruvananthapuram (8.5°N, 76.9°E), an Asian monsoon near-oceanic site, almost at the tip of Indian peninsula. It is also found out from the vertical variation of Z–R relation that coalescence is prevalent than breakup, as a result of the collision of rain drops, along with evaporation of smaller drops existed as the rain comes down. The DSD/radar reflectivity/rainfall data from the MRR, disdrometer and manual rain gauge were inter-compared, and found to have good agreement. The MRR radar bright band signature, which is an indication of melting height, is validated using the Wyoming radiosonde data. The whole rain events from March to September 2007 were separated in to bright band (BB) and non-bright band (NBB) cases. The variation of Z with R for all the heights (up to 6000 m with 200 m intervals) is modeled with a function Z = ARb corresponding to both BB and NBB cases, separately for pre-monsoon and southwest monsoon seasons. And, it is realised that there are two distinct fits with different slopes and intercepts existing for Z–R relations corresponding to BB and NBB cases throughout aloft during both the seasons. It is found out that the presence of radar BB or NBB signatures, with corresponding distinct Z–R relations even just at near-surface, which can be used as a proxy for discerning the clouds into stratiform or convective, respectively.