Abstract
Abstract. In this paper, we present two micro rain radar-based approaches to discriminate between stratiform and convective precipitation. One is based on probability density functions (PDFs) in combination with a confidence function, and the other one is an artificial neural network (ANN) classification. Both methods use the maximum radar reflectivity per profile, the maximum of the observed mean Doppler velocity per profile and the maximum of the temporal standard deviation (±15 min) of the observed mean Doppler velocity per profile from a micro rain radar (MRR). Training and testing of the algorithms were performed using a 2-year data set from the Jülich Observatory for Cloud Evolution (JOYCE). Both methods agree well, giving similar results. However, the results of the ANN are more decisive since it is also able to distinguish an inconclusive class, in turn making the stratiform and convective classes more reliable.
Highlights
Evaporation of precipitation below cloud base is a crucial process in the water and energy cycle
At the midlatitudes, precipitation evaporation is an important factor in the water cycle (Morrison et al, 2012), and the simulated water cycle processes are highly sensitive to the empirical parameters and assumptions
The calculated convection score (d) was very low, which means that these rain events were stated as being stratiform
Summary
Evaporation of precipitation below cloud base is a crucial process in the water and energy cycle. Precipitation can be of two clearly distinguishable types – stratiform and convective Both types originate from different clouds (Houze, 2014). Stratiform precipitation mainly falls from nimbostratus, whereas convective precipitation originates from active cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds. These cloud types may occur separately or entangled in the same cloud complex. Several approaches such as ANN, fuzzy logics, or decision trees based on different instruments such as disdrometer, cloud radar, precipitation radar, or radar wind profiler were developed in the past. Two methods are developed which classify rain as stratiform or convective event based only on micro rain radar (MRR) observations to enable a widespread and straightforward usage for ground-based remote-sensing sites
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