Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) TEFLUN-A
NOAA AL Profiler Observations in Support of TEFLUN-A, South Texas
The primary objective of TEFLUN is to provide ground validation for the TRMM satellite. The data base developed in TEFLUN will be suitable for validation of numerical simulation of mesoscale convective systems using cloud-resolving models and forward radiative transfer models to understand and improve the performance of the satellite and ground validation algorithms. The Texas portion of the TEFLUN campaign (TEFLUN A) took place in the Houston area April - May 1998, principally focussing on the Texas TRMM ground validation site. The NASA ER-2 participated in the campaign and was based at Eglin AFB in Florida. A cloud physics aircraft based in Texas also participated. There was close coordination with the Houston WSR-88D (NEXRAD), the Texas A&M ADRAD Doppler Radar, the NOAA ETL X-band polarization radar (X-pol) and the NOAA AL profiler system.. The accompanying map of the Houston area shows the locations of the Aeronomy Laboratory profilers relative to the ETL X-pol and the Houston NEXRAD.
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| Figure 1. AL Profiler pair located at the SIMMS South Water treatment plant in Houston, Texas. | Figure 2. Map showing locations of AL Profilers in relation to scanning radars. |
TEFLUN-A took place from April 8 to May 8, 1998. The Aeronomy Laboratory profilers were located at the SIMMS South Water treatment plant in Houston surrounded by a network of rain gages and disdrometers.
The TEFLUN-A data archive resides at the GSFC DAAC.
NOAA AL Profiler Observations from TEFLUN-A, South Texas
The NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory has used two collocated Doppler radar profilers in support of the TEFLUN-A field campaign. The profilers are vertically directed and operate at 915 MHz and 2835 MHz respectively and are used to observe the hydrometeors in precipitating cloud systems in the vertical column over the profilers. The Doppler spectra are processed to yield the three moments of the spectrum: the reflectivity (in units of dBZe), Doppler velocity of the hydrometeors in the ambient air (m/s) and spectral width (m/s).
For TEFLUN-A the profilers (See Figure 1) were located in Southeast Houston at the SIMMS South Water treatment plant operated by the City of Houston Department of Public Works. Their location relative to X-pol and NEXRAD is shown on the accompanying map (See Figure 2). The profilers were operated in a time synchronous manner in a single 105 meter pulse length mode with a dwell period of 30 seconds. The profilers observed up to 10 km.
Links to AL TEFLUN-A profiler archives:
- Browse archive of profiler images (a new window will open). This link provides images of the profiler observations.
- Profiler calibration
. This link describes the profiler calibration using the collocated surface Joss-Waldvogel disdrometer. - Calibrated profiler data archive. This link contains the calibrated profiler observations of reflectivity, Doppler velocity, and spectral width.
- Surface Meteorological data archive. This link contains the observations from the collocated surface met observations.
- Joss-Waldvogel Disdrometer. This link contains the observations from the collocated Joss-Waldvogel disdrometer.