Spectral characteristics of precipitating clouds during the Meiyu over the Yangtze-Huaihe River Valley from merged TRMM precipitation radar and visible/infrared scanner data

Abstract

As the similar cross track scanning mode of the measurements of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission’s (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) and visible and infrared scanner (VIRS) results in near instantaneous synchronization in observing the same target, it is feasible to jointly use these two measurements to explore exactly the spectral characteristics of precipitating clouds (PCs). Meanwhile, it will effectively improve and extend the abilities to identify PCs using visible/infrared (VIR) measurements, because VIR sensors can be loaded aboard geostationary satellites with the opportunity of high sampling frequency. In this paper, PR and VIRS onboard TRMM are respectively used to capture PCs and identify their spectral signals during the Meiyu over the Yangtze-Huaihe River Valley from 1998 to 2007. Visible/infrared signals for PCs, which are the reflectance at 0.63μm and 1.6μm (referred to as RF1 and RF2, respectively), and the equivalent brightness temperature of a blackbody at 3.7μm, 10.8 μm and 12.0μm (referred to as TB3, TB4 and TB5, respectively), were derived by TRMM VIRS. Firstly, characteristics of rain rate, rain top and vertical profiles for stratiform and convective precipitations are investigated during the Meiyu periods. Moreover, VIRS individual-channel signals, and multi-channel indices for PCs of the Meiyu are evaluated quantitatively. Finally, revealed by long-term mean values, the differences of spectral signals between stratiform and convective PCs and their relationships with surface rain rates are explored.