Dual-polarimetric weather RADAR application of spectral polarimetry

Abstract

Size sorting of hydrometeors in a precipitation system is a natural phenomenon that shows an increase of terminal velocity of fall with diameter and with microphysical properties of drops. Depending on different sizes, on the microphysical properties and on the dynamical type of a given precipitation system, trajectories of hydrometeors are different. We use dual-pol radar to detect the signature of this phenomenon and help to estimate the precipitation rate in a given and inaccessible location. We will study the fundamentals of the dual-pol weather radar through the parameter equations that can be estimated, the microphysical properties of hydrometeors (size, shape, canting angle, Drop Size Distribution, terminal velocity), simulation of polarimetric variables and application of spectral polarimetry to a hailstorm.