Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) TEFLUN-B
NOAA AL Profiler Observations in Support of TEFLUN-B, Central Florida
The primary objective of TEFLUN-B is to provide ground validation for the TRMM satellite. The data base developed in TEFLUN-B 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.
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| Figure 1. AL Profiler pair located at Triple-N Ranch. | Figure 2. Map showing locations of AL Profilers in relation to scanning radars. |
TEFLUN-B was led by Colorado State University and ran from August 5 to September 27, 1998. The ground-based component of TEFLUN-B included two scanning Doppler radars operated in dual Doppler mode (the NCAR S-pol radar and the Melbourne NEXRAD WSR-88D radar). The Aeronomy Laboratory profilers were located at the Triple-N Rnach site surrounded by a network of rain gages and disdrometers.
The TEFLUN-B data archive resides at the GSFC DAAC.
NOAA AL Profiler Observations from TEFLUN-B, Central Florida
The NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory has used two collocated Doppler radar profilers in support of TEFLUN-B 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-B the profilers (See Figure 1) were located at the Triple-N Ranch which places them west of the Melbourne NEXRAD radar and the S-pol radar (See Figure 2). The profilers were operated in a time synchronous manner each alternating between two modes with dwell periods of 30 seconds each. During the first dwell period the profilers observed with 105 meter pulse length up to 10 km and during the second dwell period the 915 MHz profiler observed with 250 meter pulse length up to 18 km while the 2835 MHz profiler observed with 60 meter pulse length up to 6 km.
Links to AL TEFLUN-B 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.