Date of Award
2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Atmospheric Science
Committee Chair
Kevin Knupp
Committee Member
Lawrence Carey
Committee Member
Timothy Lang
Committee Member
Brian Carcione
Subject(s)
Freezing precipitation--Forecasting, Hydrometeorology
Abstract
A Northern Alabama winter storm from February 20-21, 2015 is examined to determine the characteristics of precipitation transition. The primary data sources include profiler data from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Mobile Integrated Profiling System (MIPS) and two dual polarization radars, the Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operational Research (ARMOR) C-Band and the NOAA KHTX WSR-88D S-Band radar. Using typical precipitation fall speeds, integrated liquid water from the MIPS MPR, 915 MHz profiler Doppler spectra, and temperature, a hydrometeor identification process was developed. A hydrometeor classification algorithm developed by Colorado State University was performed on the radar data. When compared with verification data, the final transition was determined as (dry) snow/aggregates to rimed snow to mixed ice precipitation (ice pellets, wet snow/aggregates) to freezing rain to rain. The importance of including the profiler HID is seen through four additional precipitation types that the radar HCA did not include.
Recommended Citation
Leach, Christina G.A., "Implementing active/passive atmospheric profiling observations to enhance dual polarization radar hydrometeor classification algorithms for winter precipitation" (2017). Theses. 200.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/200