Abstract
Airborne multifrequency radars provide valuable information regarding the size, density, and shape of ice hydrometeors. Higher values of the dual-frequency reflectivity ratio (DFR), for instance, are often associated with the presence of larger ice crystals with potential implications for snowfall at the surface. The 3-yr Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) field campaign aimed to address the linkage between airborne remote sensing and in situ microphysics by collecting data obtained through the close coordination of a “satellite-simulating” ER-2 and “storm-penetrating” P-3 aircraft. In regions of prominently higher Ku-band and Ka-band DFR along the P-3 flight track, the solid-phase mass-weighted mean diameter ( D m ) was 66% larger, the liquid-equivalent normalized intercept parameter ( N w ) was 123% lower, the effective density ( ρ e ) was 73% smaller, and the ice water content (IWC) was 46% higher for the 21 events studied. Use of a preexisting neural network radar retrieval allowed for the vertical structure of microphysical properties to be compared to the larger DFR signatures, with similar conclusions valid for D m and N w at all altitudes studied. The analysis of the in situ microphysics data and the radar retrieval complement the relationship between bulk microphysical properties and multifrequency radar signatures that allow for microphysical processes such as aggregation and deposition to be inferred for different environments (e.g., at particular temperature ranges or depths below cloud top). Significance Statement: Radars operating at multiple frequencies can provide useful information on the sizes, shapes, and concentrations of ice crystals in winter snowstorms and can be related to banded precipitation structures with implications for snowfall at the ground. Results from a recent 3-yr field project show that ice crystals were typically larger and less dense when the reflectivity difference between two frequencies was larger and supports the process by which crystals aggregate to form larger ice particles.
Funding Information
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NSSC23M0011)
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NSSC19K0338)
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NSSC19K0394)