Summary
The increasing use of weather radar quantitative precipitation estimates, particularly in automatic applications such as operational hydrometeorological modelling or assimilation in numerical weather prediction (NWP) models, has promoted the development of quality control procedures on radar data.
Anomalous propagation (AP) of the radar beam due to deviation from the standard refractivity vertical profile, is one of the factors that may affect seriously the quality of radar observations because of the increase in quantity and intensity of non-precipitating clutter echoes and consequent contamination of the estimated rainfall field. Another undesired effect of AP is the change in the expected radar echo height, which may be relevant when correcting for beam blockage in radar rainfall estimation in complex terrain. The aim of this paper is to study the use of NWP mesoscale forecasts to predict and monitor AP events.
A nested 15-km grid resolution version of the MASS model has been used to retrieve refractivity profiles in the coastal area of Barcelona, near a weather radar and a radiosonde station. Using the refractivity profiles two different magnitudes were computed: the vertical refractivity profile of the lowest 1000 m layer and a ducting index which describes the existence and intensity of the most super-refractive layer contained in the lowest 3-km layer. A comparison between model forecasts and radiosonde diagnostics during a six-month period showed that the model tended to underestimate the degree of super-refraction, with a bias of 4 km−1 and RMSE of 11 km−1 in the 1-km vertical refractivity gradient. Further analysis of the data showed that a combination of previous observations and forecasts allowed to produce modified forecasts improving the original direct model output, decreasing substantially the bias, reducing the RMSE by 20% and improving the skill by 40%, beating also radiosonde observations persistence.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
PP Alberoni T Anderson P Mezzasalma DB Michelson S Nanni (2001) ArticleTitleUse of the vertical reflectivity profile for identification of anomalous propagation Meteor Appl 8 257–266 Occurrence Handle10.1017/S1350482701003012
Alberoni PP, Ducrocq V, Gregoric G, Haase G, Holleman I, Lindskog M, Macpherson B, Nuret M, Rossa A (2003) Quality and assimilation of radar data for NWP – a review. COST 717 document, 38 pp
E Archibald (2000) ArticleTitleEnhanced clutter processing for the UK weather radar network Phys Chem Earth (B) 25 823–828
BW Atkinson JG Li RS Plant (2001) ArticleTitleNumerical modeling of the propagation environment in the atmospheric boundary layer over the Persian Gulf J Appl Meteorol 40 586–603 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0450(2001)040<0586:NMOTPE>2.0.CO;2
Bean BR, Dutton EJ (1968) Radio meteorology. Dover Publications, 435 pp
J Bech B Codina J Lorente D Bebbington (2003) ArticleTitleThe sensitivity of single polarization weather radar beam blockage correction to variability in the vertical refractivity gradient J Atmos Oceanic Technol 20 845–855 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0426(2003)020<0845:TSOSPW>2.0.CO;2
J Bech A Sairouni B Codina J Lorente D Bebbington (2000) ArticleTitleWeather radar anaprop conditions at a Mediterranean coastal site Phys Chem Earth (B) 25 829–832
M Bruen (2000) ArticleTitleUsing radar information in hydrological modelling: COST 717 WG-1 activities Phys Chem Earth (B) 25 1305–1310
SD Burk WT Thompson (1997) ArticleTitleMesoscale modeling of summertime refractive conditions in the southern California bight J Appl Meteor 36 22–31 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0450(1997)036<0022:MMOSRC>2.0.CO;2
EB Carroll (1997) ArticleTitleA technique for consistent alteration of NWP output fields Meteor Appl 4 171–178 Occurrence Handle10.1017/S1350482797000467
B Codina M Aran S Young A Redaño (1997a) ArticleTitlePrediction of a mesoescale convective system over Catalonia (northeastern Spain) with a nested numerical model Meteorol Atmos Phys 62 9–22 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF01037476
Codina B, Sairouni A, Bech J, Redaño A (1997b) Operational application of a nested mesoscale numerical model in Catalonia (Meteo ’96 Project). INM/WMO Int. Symp. on Cyclones and Hazardous Weather in the Mediterranean
Collier CG (1996) Applications of weather radar systems. Wiley, 390 pp
CG Collier (1998) ArticleTitleObservations of sea clutter using an S-band weather radar Meteor Appl 5 263–270 Occurrence Handle10.1017/S1350482798000930
da Silveira RB, Holt AR (1997) A neural network application to discriminate between clutter and precipitation using polarisation information as feature space. 28th Int. Conf. on Radar Meteor, Amer Meteor Soc, Austin, Texas, pp 57–58
Domínguez R, Berenguer M, Sempere-Torres D (2004) Identification of non-weather echoes using fuzzy logic techniques. 3rd European Conf. on Radar in Meteorology and Hydrology. Abstracts book, p 68
Doviak RJ, Zrnic DS (1993) Doppler radar and weather observations. Academic Press, 562 pp
Fornasiero A, Amorati R, Alberoni PP, Ferraris L, Taramasso AC (2004) Impact of combined beam blocking and anomalous propagation correction algorithms on radar data quality. Proc. ERAD 2004, pp 216–222. Copernicus GmbH
D Frühwald (2000) ArticleTitleUsing radar observations for parametrisations and validation of atmospheric models – strategy of COST 717 Working Group 2 Phys Chem Earth (B) 25 1251–1253
RA Fulton JP Breidenbach D Seo D Miller T O’Bannon (1998) ArticleTitleThe WSR-88D rainfall algorithm Wea Forecast 13 377–395 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0434(1998)013<0377:TWRA>2.0.CO;2
Gjertsen U, Dahl JI (2002) Challenges for precipitation estimation in mountainuous regions. Proc. 2nd European Conf. on Radar Meteorology, pp 250–254. Copernicus GmbH
HR Glahn DA Lowry (1972) ArticleTitleThe use of model output statistics (MOS) in objective weather forecasting J Appl Meteor 11 1203–1211 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0450(1972)011<1203:TUOMOS>2.0.CO;2
Illingworth A (2003) Improved precipitation rates and data quality by using polarimetric measurements. In: Weather radar: principles and advanced applications (Meischner P, ed). Springer, chap. 5, pp 130–166
ITU (2003) The radio refractive index: its formula and refractivity data recommendation ITU-R P453-9. Int Telecom Union, 27 pp
Johnson C, Harrison D, Golding B (1999) Use of atmospheric profile information in the identification of anaprop in weather radar images. Observation-based Products Technical Report No. 17, Forecasting Systems, UK Meteorological Office, 30 pp [Available from the National Meteorological Library, London Road, Bracknell, UK]
J Joss R Lee (1995) ArticleTitleThe application of radar-gauge comparisons to operational precipitation profile corrections J Appl Meteor 34 2612–2630 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0450(1995)034<2612:TAORCT>2.0.CO;2
Joss J, Waldvogel A (1990) Precipitation measurement and hydrology, a review. In: Radar in meteorology (Atlas D, ed). Am Met Soc, Boston, chap. 29a, pp 577–606
Keeler RJ, Passarelli RE (1990) Signal processing for atmospheric radars. In: Radar in meteorology (Atlas D, ed). Am Met Soc, Boston, chap. 20a, pp 199–229
M Kitchen R Brown AG Davies (1994) ArticleTitleReal-time correction of weather radar data for the effects of bright band, range and orographic growth in widespread precipitation Quart J Roy Met Soc 120 1231–1254 Occurrence Handle10.1002/qj.49712051906
WH Klein BM Lewis I Enger (1959) ArticleTitleObjective prediction of five-day mean temperatures during winter J Atmos Sci 16 672–682 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0469(1959)016<0672:OPOFDM>2.0.CO;2
SE Koch WC Skillman PJ Kocin PJ Wetzel KF Brill DA Keyser MC McCumber (1985) ArticleTitleSynoptic scale forecast skill and systematic errors in the MASS 20 model Mon Wea Rev 113 1714–1737 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0493(1985)113<1714:SSFSAS>2.0.CO;2
Koistinnen J (1997) Clutter cancellation and the capabilities of modern Doppler radars. COST-75 Workshop on Doppler Weather Radar European Commission, pp 7–11
B MacPherson (2000) ArticleTitleRadar data in NWP models: an outline of COST-717 Working Group 3 Phys Chem Earth (B) 25 1225–1227
Météo-France (1997) Quality control on GTS data at Météo-France. Météo-France, Service Centrale d’Exploitation de la Météorologie 42, Av Coriolis, Toulouse Cedex 1, France
DB Michelson D Sunhede (2004) ArticleTitleSpurious weather radar echo identification and removal using multisource temperature information Meteor Appl 11 1–14 Occurrence Handle10.1017/S1350482703001129
Michelson D, Holleman I, Gjertsen U, Friedrich K, Haase G, Lindskog M, Szturc J (2004) Weather radar data quality in Europe: quality control and characterization, COST-717 working document WDD_MC_200403_1, 87 pp
Nicol JC, Tabary P, Sugier J, Parent-du-Chatelet J, Delrieu G (2003) Non-weather echo identification for conventional operational radar, 31st Radar Conf., Seattle, USA
JA Pamment BJ Conway (1998) ArticleTitleObjective identification of echoes due to anomalous propagation in weather radar data J Atmos Oceanic Technol 15 IssueID1 98–113 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0426(1998)015<0098:OIOEDT>2.0.CO;2
GS Pankiewicz CJ Johnson DL Harrison (2001) ArticleTitleImproving radar observations of precipitation with a Meteosat Neural Network Classifier Meteorol Atmos Phys 76 9–22 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s007030170036
DP Petersen (1968) ArticleTitleOn the concept and implementation of sequential analysis for linear random fields Tellus 20 673–686 Occurrence Handle10.1111/j.2153-3490.1968.tb00410.x
AM Rossa (2000) ArticleTitleCOST-717: Use of radar observations in hydrological and NWP models Phys Chem Earth (B) 10–12 1221–1224
AV Ryhzkov DS Zrnic (1998) ArticleTitlePolarimetric rainfall estimation in the presence of anomalous propagation J Atmos Oceanic Technol 15 1320–1330 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0426(1998)015<1320:PREITP>2.0.CO;2
Sánchez-Diezma R, Sempere-Torres D, Delrieu G, Zawadki I (2001) An improved methodology for ground clutter substitution based on a pre-classification of precipitation types. 30th Int. Conf. on Radar Meteor, Munich, Germany. Am Met Soc, pp 271–273
M Steiner JA Smith (2002) ArticleTitleUse of three-dimensional reflectivity structure for automated detection and removal of non-precipitating echoes in radar data J Atmos Oceanic Technol 19 673–686 Occurrence Handle10.1175/1520-0426(2002)019<0673:UOTDRS>2.0.CO;2
Sugier J, Parent du Châtelet J, Roquain P, Smith A (2002) Detection and removal of clutter and anaprop in radar data using a statistical scheme based on echo fluctuation. Proc. ERAD 2002, pp 17–24
KE Taylor (2001) ArticleTitleSummarizing multiple aspects of model performance in a single diagram J Geophys Res 106 IssueIDD7 7183–7192 Occurrence Handle10.1029/2000JD900719
E Todini (2001) ArticleTitleA Bayesian technique for conditioning radar precipitation estimates to rain-gauge measurements Hydrol Earth Sys Sci 5 187–199
A von Engeln J Teixeira (2004) ArticleTitleA ducting climatology derived from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts global analysis fields J Geophys Res 109 D18104 Occurrence Handle10.1029/2003JD004380
Wessels H, Beekhuis J (1994) A stepwise procedure for suppression of anomalous ground clutter echoes. COST-75 Weather Radar Systems Int. Seminar, pp 270–277
M Wesson GS Pegram (2004) ArticleTitleRadar rainfall image repair techniques Hydrol Earth Sys Sci 8 220–234 Occurrence Handle10.5194/hess-8-220-2004
Wilks DS (1995) Statistical methods in the atmospheric sciences. Academic Press, 467 pp
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bech, J., Codina, B. & Lorente, J. Forecasting weather radar propagation conditions. Meteorol. Atmos. Phys. 96, 229–243 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-006-0211-x
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-006-0211-x