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Scattering Properties and Brightness Temperatures Associated with Solid PrecipitationIn the past few years, early solid precipitation detection and retrieval algorithms have been developed and shown to be applicable for snowing clouds and blizzards. NOAA has an operational snow versus rain classifier based on AMSU-B observations. Solid precipitation retrieval algorithms reported in the literature over the past two years include those that rely on neural nets, statistics, or physical relationships. All of the algorithms require the use of millimeter-wave radiometer observations. The millimeter-wave frequencies are especially sensitive to the scattering and emission properties of frozen particles due to the ice particle refractive index. Passive radiometric channels respond to both the integrated particle mass throughout the volume and field of view, and to the amount, location, and size distribution of the frozen (and liquid) particles with the sensitivity varying for different frequencies and hydrometeor types. This investigation probes the sensitivity of scattering and absorption coefficients, and hence computed brightness temperatures, resulting from variations in solid precipitation cloud profiles. The first study compares the single scattering, absorption, and asymmetry parameters associated with snow particles in clouds. Several methodologies are used to convert the physical characteristics (e.g., shape, size distributions, ice-air-water ratios) of ice particles to electromagnetic properties (e.g., absorption, scattering, and asymmetry factors). These methodologies include: conversion to solid ice particles, homogeneous dielectric mixing, or discrete dipole approximation. Changes in the conversion methodology can produce computed brightness temperature differences greater than 50 Kelvin.
Document ID
20050210073
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Skofronick-Jackson, Gail M.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Kim, Min-Jeong
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Catonsville, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2005
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Meeting Information
Meeting: 2005 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) International Symposium and URSI Meeting
Location: Washington, DC
Country: United States
Start Date: July 5, 2005
End Date: July 8, 2005
Sponsors: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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