Hydrometeor Distribution and Linear Depolarization Ratio in Thunderstorms
The distribution of hydrometeors in thunderstorms is still under investigation as well as the process of electrification in thunderclouds leading to lightning discharges. One indicator of cloud electrification might be high values of the Linear Depolarization Ratio (LDR) at higher vertical levels. T...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/13/2144 |
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| author | Zbyněk Sokol Jana Minářová Ondřej Fišer |
| author_facet | Zbyněk Sokol Jana Minářová Ondřej Fišer |
| author_sort | Zbyněk Sokol |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The distribution of hydrometeors in thunderstorms is still under investigation as well as the process of electrification in thunderclouds leading to lightning discharges. One indicator of cloud electrification might be high values of the Linear Depolarization Ratio (LDR) at higher vertical levels. This study focuses on LDR values derived from vertically pointing cloud radars and the distribution of five hydrometeor species during 38 days with thunderstorms which occurred in 2018 and 2019 in Central Europe, close to our radar site. The study shows improved algorithms for de-aliasing, the derivation of vertical air velocity and the classification of hydrometeors in clouds using radar data. The comparison of vertical profiles with observed lightning discharges in the vicinity of the radar site (≤1 km) suggested that cloud radar data can indirectly identify “lightning” areas by high LDR values observed at higher gates due to the alignment of ice crystals, likely because of an intensified electric field in thunderclouds. Simultaneously, the results indicated that at higher gates, there is a mixture of several hydrometeor species, which suggests a well-known electrification process by collisions of hydrometeors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:41:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b6baf00c200d4961af3a4b6d39bfc492 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T18:41:51Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-b6baf00c200d4961af3a4b6d39bfc4922023-11-20T05:49:34ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922020-07-011213214410.3390/rs12132144Hydrometeor Distribution and Linear Depolarization Ratio in ThunderstormsZbyněk Sokol0Jana Minářová1Ondřej Fišer2Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Bocni II, 141 00 Praha 4, Czech RepublicInstitute of Atmospheric Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Bocni II, 141 00 Praha 4, Czech RepublicInstitute of Atmospheric Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Bocni II, 141 00 Praha 4, Czech RepublicThe distribution of hydrometeors in thunderstorms is still under investigation as well as the process of electrification in thunderclouds leading to lightning discharges. One indicator of cloud electrification might be high values of the Linear Depolarization Ratio (LDR) at higher vertical levels. This study focuses on LDR values derived from vertically pointing cloud radars and the distribution of five hydrometeor species during 38 days with thunderstorms which occurred in 2018 and 2019 in Central Europe, close to our radar site. The study shows improved algorithms for de-aliasing, the derivation of vertical air velocity and the classification of hydrometeors in clouds using radar data. The comparison of vertical profiles with observed lightning discharges in the vicinity of the radar site (≤1 km) suggested that cloud radar data can indirectly identify “lightning” areas by high LDR values observed at higher gates due to the alignment of ice crystals, likely because of an intensified electric field in thunderclouds. Simultaneously, the results indicated that at higher gates, there is a mixture of several hydrometeor species, which suggests a well-known electrification process by collisions of hydrometeors.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/13/2144cloud radarthunderstormLDRhydrometeorhydrometeor classificationlightning |
| spellingShingle | Zbyněk Sokol Jana Minářová Ondřej Fišer Hydrometeor Distribution and Linear Depolarization Ratio in Thunderstorms Remote Sensing cloud radar thunderstorm LDR hydrometeor hydrometeor classification lightning |
| title | Hydrometeor Distribution and Linear Depolarization Ratio in Thunderstorms |
| title_full | Hydrometeor Distribution and Linear Depolarization Ratio in Thunderstorms |
| title_fullStr | Hydrometeor Distribution and Linear Depolarization Ratio in Thunderstorms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hydrometeor Distribution and Linear Depolarization Ratio in Thunderstorms |
| title_short | Hydrometeor Distribution and Linear Depolarization Ratio in Thunderstorms |
| title_sort | hydrometeor distribution and linear depolarization ratio in thunderstorms |
| topic | cloud radar thunderstorm LDR hydrometeor hydrometeor classification lightning |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/13/2144 |
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