Abstract
Abstract. This paper describes a 2-month dataset of ground-based triple-frequency (X, Ka, and W band) Doppler radar observations during the winter season obtained at the Jülich ObservatorY for Cloud Evolution Core Facility (JOYCE-CF), Germany. All relevant post-processing steps, such as re-gridding and offset and attenuation correction, as well as quality flagging, are described. The dataset contains all necessary information required to recover data at intermediate processing steps for user-specific applications and corrections (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1341389; Dias Neto et al., 2019). The large number of ice clouds included in the dataset allows for a first statistical analysis of their multifrequency radar signatures. The reflectivity differences quantified by dual-wavelength ratios (DWRs) reveal temperature regimes where aggregation seems to be triggered. Overall, the aggregation signatures found in the triple-frequency space agree with and corroborate conclusions from previous studies. The combination of DWRs with mean Doppler velocity and linear depolarization ratio enables us to distinguish signatures of rimed particles and melting snowflakes. The riming signatures in the DWRs agree well with results found in previous triple-frequency studies. Close to the melting layer, however, we find very large DWRs (up to 20 dB), which have not been reported before. A combined analysis of these extreme DWR with mean Doppler velocity and a linear depolarization ratio allows this signature to be separated, which is most likely related to strong aggregation, from the triple-frequency characteristics of melting particles.
Highlights
The combined observation of clouds and precipitation at different radar frequencies is used to improve retrievals of hydrometeor properties
These processing steps include the detection and removal of measurements affected by ground clutter, an offset correction of the radars based on independent sources, the compensation for estimated differential attenuation caused by atmospheric gases, adjustment of the dual-wavelength ratios (DWRs) by cross calibrations between the three radars and the addiwww.earth-syst-sci-data.net/11/845/2019/
The three radars have been individually calibrated by their respective manufacturers; radar components might experience drifts over time, which can lead to biases of several dB
Summary
The combined observation of clouds and precipitation at different radar frequencies is used to improve retrievals of hydrometeor properties. Ground-based triple-frequency radar measurements in combination with in situ observations (Kneifel et al, 2015) provided the first experimental evidence for a close relation between triple-frequency signatures and the characteristic particle size, as well as the bulk density of snowfall. These early results were corroborated and refined by coinciding in situ observations in aircraft campaigns (Chase et al, 2018) as well as by ground-based observations (Gergely et al, 2017).
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