Raindrop Size Distribution Characteristics of Summer Precipitation at Xinmin, Northeast China

Zhou Renran; Wang Gaili; Gao Yunyi

doi:10.11898/1001-7313.20240307

Vol.35, NO.3, 2024

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Zhou Renran, Wang Gaili, Gao Yunyi. Raindrop size distribution characteristics of summer precipitation at Xinmin, Northeast China. J Appl Meteor Sci, 2024, 35(3): 337-349. DOI: 10.11898/1001-7313.20240307.

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Zhou Renran, Wang Gaili, Gao Yunyi. Raindrop size distribution characteristics of summer precipitation at Xinmin, Northeast China. J Appl Meteor Sci, 2024, 35(3): 337-349. DOI: 10.11898/1001-7313.20240307.

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Raindrop Size Distribution Characteristics of Summer Precipitation at Xinmin, Northeast China

DOI: 10.11898/1001-7313.20240307

Zhou Renran^{1, 2},
Wang Gaili^{1
,
,},
Gao Yunyi¹

1.
State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081
2.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049

Received Date: 2024-03-28
Rev Recd Date: 2024-04-28
Publish Date: 2024-05-31

Abstract

Abstract

Raindrop size distribution (DSD) is a basic characteristic for describing the microphysical process of rainfall. A better understanding of DSD and its variations is not only crucial for improving microphysical parameterization schemes in numerical weather forecasting models, but also important for radar quantitative precipitation estimation. It shows that DSD characteristics are not only related to geographical location, climate, terrain, and humidity, but also vary among different rainfall types and rain rate in the same region. At present, there are still some uncertainties and limitations in the understanding of microphysical characteristics of rainfall in Northeast China, and the microphysical parameterization scheme still lacks accurate description of rainfall microphysical process. Based on observations of the precipitation phenomenon instrument at Xinmin of Liaoning Province in summer, DSD characteristics of different rainfall rate classes are investigated and compared with those of other regions in China. Spectral width of DSD increases with an increase in rain rate (R). The spectral width of raindrops is close to 8 mm when R>20 mm·h^-1. Small drops are predominant in rainfall of Xinmin, but moderate drops make the most significant contribution to total rainfall. Observed DSD samples are also categorized into convective and stratiform rainfall types. The convective rainfall at Xinmin has large raindrop size and low raindrop concentration. Convective rainfall can be identified as continental clusters, with average D_m and lgN_w of 2.14 mm and 3.40, while average D_m and lgN_w of stratiform rainfall at Xinmin are 1.23 mm and 3.30, respectively. The μ-Λ and Z-R relationships for convective and stratiform rainfall at Xinmin are thus fitted. Fitted μ-Λ relationship at Xinmin is similar to that in other regions fitted with data observed by PARSIVEL disdrometers, but different from the empirical relationship fitted from two-dimensional video raindrop spectrometers (2DVD) observations in other regions, and the difference of instruments is the main cause for the discrepancies of μ-Λ relationships. Compared with East China and North China, Xinmin rainfall has larger D_m, lower lgN_w, and higher exponent value of fitted Z-R power-law relationship for convective rainfall, indicating that the radar reflectivity factor at Xinmin increases more rapidly with the increase of rain rate. Using the Z-R empirical formula fitted at Xinmin can reduce the error of radar-based quantitative precipitation estimation. Results would contribute to the understanding of microphysical characteristics of rainfall in Northeast China and the accuracy of radar quantitative precipitation estimation.
- Northeast China;
- raindrop size distribution;
- continental clutter;
- empirical relationship;
- microphysical characteristics

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References(41)

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1 Raindrop size distributions after quality control(a) and 6-minute accumulated rainfall before and after quality control(b) for precipitation phenomenon instrument at Xinmin on 4 Aug 2020

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Fig. 2 Relative contributions of different rain intensities to accumulated rain amount (the solid line) and accumulated rain duration (the column)

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Fig. 3 Average raindrop size distribution for different rainfall intensities (unit: mm·h^-1)

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Fig. 4 Relative contribution of different diameters to total raindrop concentration and rainfall intensity

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Fig. 5 Occurrence frequency of D_m and lgN_w for stratiform rainfall and convective rainfall

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Fig. 6 Scatter plot and fitting curves of μ-Λ

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Fig. 7 Scatter plots and fitting curves of Z-R for stratiform rainfall and convective rainfall

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Table 1 Cumulative rainfall, relative deviations, and correlation coefficients of selected 17 rainfall days by two instruments (correlation coeffients passing the test of 0.01 level)

序号	降雨日	累积雨量/mm		相对偏差/%	相关系数
序号	降雨日	雨量计	降水现象仪	相对偏差/%	相关系数
1	2019-07-11	28.9	27.3	-6	0.99
2	2019-07-30	47.4	38.6	-19	0.98
3	2019-08-03	111.6	93.6	-16	0.98
4	2019-08-11	46.3	41.8	-10	0.99
5	2019-08-14	68.3	51.7	-24	0.97
6	2020-08-04	60.5	51.0	-16	0.99
7	2020-08-19	62.0	43.6	-30	0.96
8	2020-08-25	78.9	60.2	-24	0.99
9	2020-08-27	46.3	32.5	-30	0.99
10	2021-07-30	28.9	31.2	8	0.96
11	2021-08-11	26.0	21.6	-17	0.96
12	2021-08-16	29.8	21.2	-29	0.94
13	2022-07-03	18.8	18.7	0	0.99
14	2022-07-07	69.6	53.1	-23	0.96
15	2022-08-13	17.1	15.4	-9	0.98
16	2023-07-09	27.6	24.9	-9	0.99
17	2023-08-22	21.4	15.1	-29	0.95

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Table 2 Precipitation parameters and Gamma model parameters for different rainfall intensities

参数	雨强/(mm·h^-1)
参数	[0.1, 2)	[2, 5)	[5, 10)	[10, 20)	[20, 50)	[50, 181.7)
N_t/m^-3	106.3	264.7	335.4	437.6	659.7	1309.0
W/(g·m^-3)	0.035	0.158	0.315	0.593	1.216	2.963
Z/dBZ	22.6	31.7	37.2	41.8	47.3	53.3
D_m/mm	1.190	1.460	1.753	2.032	2.429	2.880
lgN_w	3.152	3.453	3.434	3.452	3.454	3.545
μ	1.422	1.862	1.371	1.530	1.497	1.690
Λ/mm^-1	4.557	4.015	3.065	2.722	2.264	1.976
N₀/(m^-3·mm^-1)	5372.7	11009.7	5777.0	5229.7	3973.8	3821.8

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Table 3 Precipitation estimation error for different Z-R relationships at Xinmin

降雨类型	拟合公式	标准化平均偏差/%	标准化绝对偏差/%
对流云降雨	Z=300R^1.40(经验公式)^[41]	26.26	36.84
	Z=733.55R^1.22(北京)^[9]	8.18	36.7
	Z=230.85R^1.34(南京)^[40]	82.63	84.53
	Z=180.93R^1.61 (新民)	4.51	24.53
层状云降雨	Z=200R^1.60(经验公式)^[41]	17.71	41.53
	Z=247.19R^1.35(北京)^[9]	14.09	35.44
	Z=193.73R^1.54(南京)^[40]	20.86	38.94
	Z=239.03R^1.44 (新民)	11.49	38.22

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