Ein Spektrograph für Niederschlagstropfen mit automatischer Auswertung

Summary

A new spectrometer which gives a continuous record of the size distribution of raindrops is described. The basic principe is the automatic compensation of the force, produced by a raindrop falling upon the rigid receiving system.

The spectrometer is able to record the drop-size distribution of very weak as well as very heavy showers (more than 200 mm/h). Up to 200 drops per second with diameters ranging from 0.3 to 5.3 mm sorted into 20 groups can be recorded.

An analog computer calculates and integrates simultaneously the rain intensityR, the water content in the airW and the radar reflectivityZ. The precision of the radar reflectivityZ, calculated from the raindrop spectrum, depends on the rain intensity, the receiving area and the timet during exposure. The precision ofZ is calculated for different timest as a function of the rain intensity.