Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility US Department of Energy
 
 

Marine ARM GPCI Investigations of Clouds (MAGIC): Parsivel Disdrometer support for MAGIC

1 October 2012 - 30 September 2013

Lead Scientist: Pavlos Kollias

Observatory: amf, mag

Retrievals of cloud and precipitation properties during the MAGIC campaign relied critically on the calibration of the AMF2 radar systems. For MAGIC this included the KAZR and M-WACR, both fixed zenith-pointing systems, and the 1290 MHz beam steerable wind profiler. Calibration methods rely on the zenith pointing cloud radars being co-located or within close proximity of a Scanning ARM Cloud Radar (SACR). The scanning systems are calibrated by periodically viewing corner reflectors of known size and distance from the radars. When the scanning systems are viewing the same cloud volumes in space and time as the vertically pointing systems, cross-calibrations can be performed. The AMF2 SACR was not deployed during MAGIC and therefore calibration of the zenith pointing cloud radars was not possible using standard procedures.

As a means to monitor and provide constraints on the calibration of the radars a disdrometer was deployed on the ship during MAGIC. The AMF2 has a 2-dimensional video disdrometer (2DVD) but this system was considered impractical for ship deployment (calibration and vibration concerns). Accurately measuring rainfall on ships, and even more so drop size distributions, was challenging due to ship distortions of the wind flow (e.g. Yuter and Parker, 2001). This was particularly true in strong winds which were common during MAGIC due to the ship cruising speed and the prevailing winds along the ship track. Ship vibrations were problematic for impact disdrometers as were the rather large vertical motions (heave) of the ship expected during MAGIC (+/- 1 to 2 m/s being common). Based on discussions with many ASR scientists and review of what literature is available, the Parsivel optical disdrometer appeared to provide a good choice for measuring drop size distributions required to calibrate the ARM radars.

Co-Investigators

Brad Orr

Timeline

  • Parent Campaign
  • Sibling Campaign

2016

Kollias P and MJ Bartholomew. 2016. Parsivel Disdrometer Support for MAGIC Field Campaign Report. Ed. by Robert Stafford, DOE ARM Climate Research Facility. DOE/SC-ARM-16-033. 10.2172/1255440.

2015

Kalmus P, S Wong, and J Teixeira. 2015. "The Pacific Subtropical Cloud Transition: A MAGIC Assessment of AIRS and ECMWF Thermodynamic Structure." IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, 12(7), 10.1109/lgrs.2015.2413771.


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Campaign Data Sets

IOP Participant Data Source Name Final Data
Mary Jane Bartholomew disdro Order Data

MAG Data Sources

Name Full Name Browse Data
AOS Aerosol Observing System Browse Data
AOSMET Meteorological Measurements associated with the Aerosol Observing System Browse Data
ASSIST Atmospheric Sounder Spectrometer for Infrared Spectral Technology Browse Data
CCN Cloud Condensation Nuclei Particle Counter Browse Data
CEIL Ceilometer Browse Data
CEILPBLHT Boundary-layer height data with CEIL Browse Data
CEILSHIPCOR Ceilometer Corrected for Ship Motion Browse Data
CPC Condensation Particle Counter Browse Data
HSRL High Spectral Resolution Lidar Browse Data
HSRLSHIPCOR HSRL Corrected for Ship Motion Browse Data
HTDMA Humidified Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer Browse Data
INTERPSONDE Interpolated Sonde Browse Data
IRT Infrared Thermometer Browse Data
KAZR Ka ARM Zenith Radar Browse Data
KAZRSHIPCOR KAZR Ship Motion Correction Browse Data
MARINEMET Marine Surface Meteorological Instrumentation Browse Data
MPL Micropulse Lidar Browse Data
MPLCMASK Cloud mask from Micropulse Lidar Browse Data
MPLPOLFSSHIPCOR MPL Corrected for Ship Motion Browse Data
MWACR Marine W-Band (95 GHz) ARM Cloud Radar Browse Data
MWACRSHIPCOR MWACR Ship Motion Correction Browse Data
MWR Microwave Radiometer Browse Data
MWR3C Microwave Radiometer, 3 Channel Browse Data
MWRRET MWR Retrievals Browse Data
NAV Navigational Location and Attitude Browse Data
NAVBE Navigational Location and Attitude Best Estimate Browse Data
NEPHELOMETER Nephelometer Browse Data
OZONE Ozone Monitor Browse Data
PBLHT Planetary Boundary Layer Height Browse Data
PRP Portable Radiation Package Browse Data
PSAP Particle Soot Absorption Photometer Browse Data
RWP Radar Wind Profiler Browse Data
SASZE Shortwave Array Spectroradiometer-Zenith Browse Data
SONDE Balloon-Borne Sounding System Browse Data
SONDEGRID Gridded Sonde VAP Product Browse Data
S-TABLE Stabilized Platform Browse Data
TSI Total Sky Imager Browse Data
UHSAS Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer Browse Data