Search for: All records

Abstract. Optimizing radar observation strategies is one of the mostimportant considerations in pre-field campaign periods. This is especiallytrue for isolated convective clouds that typically evolve faster than theobservations captured by operational radar networks. This study investigatesuncertainties in radar observations of the evolution of the microphysicaland dynamical properties of isolated deep convective clouds developing inclean and polluted environments. It aims to optimize the radar observationstrategy for deep convection through the use of high-spatiotemporalcloud-resolving model simulations, which resolve the evolution of individualconvective cells every 1 min, coupled with a radar simulator and a celltracking algorithm. The radar simulation settings are based on the TrackingAerosol Convection Interactions ExpeRiment (TRACER) and Experiment of SeaBreeze Convection, Aerosols, Precipitation and Environment (ESCAPE) fieldcampaigns held in the Houston, TX, area but are generalizable to other fieldcampaigns focusing on isolated deep convection. Our analysis produces thefollowing four outcomes. First, a 5–7 m s−1 median difference inmaximum updrafts of tracked cells is shown between the clean and pollutedsimulations in the early stages of the cloud lifetimes. This demonstratesthe importance of obtaining accurate estimates of vertical velocity fromobservations if aerosol impacts are to be properly resolved. Second,tracking of individual cells and using vertical cross section scanning every minute capture the evolution of precipitation particle number concentration and size represented by polarimetric observables better than the operational radar observations that update the volume scan every 5 min. This approach also improves multi-Doppler radar updraft retrievals above 5 km above ground level for regions with updraft velocities greater than 10 m s−1. Third, we propose an optimized strategy composed of cell tracking by quick (1–2 min) vertical cross section scans from more than oneradar in addition to the operational volume scans. We also propose the useof a single-RHI (range height indicator) updraft retrieval technique for cellsclose to the radars, for which multi-Doppler radar retrievals are stillchallenging. Finally, increasing the number of deep convective cells sampledby such observations better represents the median maximum updraft evolutionwith sample sizes of more than 10 deep cells, which decreases the errorassociated with sampling the true population to less than 3 m s−1.