HR: 10:20h
AN: H52A-01 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Snowflake Size Distribution Measurements in South Central Ontario, Canada
AU: * Tokay, A
EM: tokay@radar.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: JCET/UMBC, NASA GSFC Code 613.1, greenbelt, md 20771, United States
AU: Bringi, V N
EM: bringi@engr.colostate.edu
AF: CSU, Department of Electrical Engineering CSU, Fort Collins, co , United States
AU: Huang, G
EM: gh222106@engr.colostate.edu
AF: CSU, Department of Electrical Engineering CSU, Fort Collins, co , United States
AU: Schoenhuber, M
EM: Michael.Schoenhuber@joanneum.at
AF: JOANNEUM RESEARCH, Inffeldgasse 12, Graz, A-8010, Austria
AU: Bashor, P G
EM: pgbashor@pop900.gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: CSC, NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, va 23337, United States
AU: Hudak, D
EM: David.Hudak@ec.gc.ca
AF: Environment Canada, 14780 Jane Street, King City, on L7B 1A3, Canada
AU: Jackson, G S
EM: Gail.S.Jackson@nasa.gov
AF: NASA GSFC, NASA GSFC Code 614.6, Greenbelt, md 20771, United States
AU: Petersen, W A
EM: walt.petersen@nasa.gov
AF: University of Alabama at Huntsville, Atmospheric Science Department University of Alabama, Huntsville, al , United States
AB: In support of NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission ground validation program, NASA's two laser optical disdrometers (Parsivel) and Colodaro State University (CSU) two-dimensional video disdrometer (2dvd) were deployed to a well-equipped precipitation observation site in South Central Ontario, Canada. The instruments were collocated and have been operating since late November 2006. So far, there has been numerous lake effect and synoptic winter storms over the site. In one event, parsivel disdrometers recorded 50 cm of snowfall. In addition, there have been at least 10 storms where the snow accumulation exceeded 4 cm. The leading objective of this study was to compare the parsivel and 2dvd size and fall velocity measurements for selected cases and relate the findings to the physical processes within and below the cloud. Unlike 2dvd, parsivel measures the maximum dimension of the snowflake in a single plane, while the fall velocity is calculated from the duration of the flake within the laser beam. The 2dvd samples the same flake in two planes from which fall velocity is obtained. The 2dvd also measures the maximum width and height in both planes. At the time of this abstract, two parsivels and 2dvd were operated nearly continuously for almost three months and preliminary data analysis is encouraging. The field site, which is known as Centre for Atmospheric Research Experiments (CARE), is an atmospheric research facility operated by the Air Quality Research Branch of the Meteorological Service of Canada and is located 80 km north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada in a rural agricultural and forested region. During the past three winters, a field campaign was conduced in support of Canadian CloudSat/CALIPSO validation project (c3vp). However, 2006-07 winter was the first since the satellites were in orbit. The coordinated efforts of aircraft missions over the CARE facility during the Intensive Operation Periods will enhance our understanding of cold cloud microphysics.
DE: 0320 Cloud physics and chemistry
DE: 1840 Hydrometeorology
DE: 1853 Precipitation-radar
DE: 1854 Precipitation (3354)
DE: 1855 Remote sensing (1640)
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly