Retrieving hydrometeor motions using space-borne EarthCARE Doppler radar

EarthCARE space-borne radar will be the first radar in space with Doppler capability, enabling measurements of vertical motions of hydrometeors. The vertical velocity is very useful in classifying precipitating systems (convective systems versus stratiform, rain versus snow). Global distribution of hydrometeor vertical velocity is important in estimation of latent heat fluxes and in study of energy transportation in the atmosphere. A renewed interest in space-borne Doppler radars has recently sprouted as a response to the imminent launch (2015) of the W-band cloud profiling radar within the ESA/JAXA EarthCARE mission. Given the many caveats involved with high frequency space-borne Doppler radars (Doppler fading due to the fast satellite movement, small Nyquist velocity folding, non uniform beam filling issues, contamination by multiple scattering, antenna mispointing) a particularly challenging scenario for retrieving mean Doppler velocities is represented by convective clouds. In this work we will couple DOMUS, a Monte Carlo-based DOppler MUltiple Scattering radar simulator capable of accounting for non uniform beam filling (NUBF) conditions and multiple scattering enhancements, with high resolution WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) mesoscale prediction model runs to study the potential of high frequency Doppler radars in retrieving vertical hydrometeor motions in atmosphere. © 2012 IEEE.