High-Speed Optical Disdrometer for Rainfall Microphysical Observations

Abstract

AbstractA high-speed optical disdrometer (HOD) that was developed for measuring rainfall microphysical quantities, including raindrop shape, size distribution, and fall velocity/acceleration, is the subject of this paper. The main components of the HOD are a high-speed video camera, a light-emitting diode (LED) light, and a sensing unit to detect raindrops passing through the camera view frame. The high-speed video camera is directed at the LED light to capture the silhouettes of the backlit drops when triggered by a raindrop that is detected within a specified focal depth by the sensing unit. The use of a sensing unit enables the confinement of a measurement volume around the camera focal plane. This innovative operation principle ensures the capture of sharp images of raindrop silhouettes, which are then digitally processed to provide accurate information on various raindrop characteristics. The measurement capabilities of the HOD were evaluated through both laboratory and field tests. In the laboratory tests, high-precision spherical lenses with known diameters and water drops of different sizes generated for a known volume of water were used. In the field tests, the HOD was evaluated against a reference rain gauge in a number of rain events. These tests demonstrated the precise accuracy of HOD measurements and the HOD’s technological readiness for field deployment for various applications. It is expected that the HOD will play an important role in generating new insights on raindrop dynamics and related research through its unique measurement capability of providing sequential high-speed images of raindrops.