Evaluation of Gridded Scanning ARM Cloud Radar BL-RHI Observations

Poster PDF

Description

The Scanning ARM Cloud Radars (SACR’s) have been providing continuous 3-D observation of the cloudy atmosphere at the ARM fixed and mobile sites since 2011. The SACR’s perform a sequence of scan strategies designed to address a wide range of scientific objectives. One of the major objectives is the documentation of the 3-D structure of clouds and it’s temporal evolution (4-D). This objective can be achieved using SACR data from the Boundary-Layer Range-Height (BL-RHI) scan strategy. The BL-RHI scan strategy is composed of a sequence of RHI scans from horizon-to-zenith elevation spaced by 3° in azimuth to cover a 60° to 90° azimuth sector in less than 5 min. This sequence is repeated several times within a 25 min period. Now that a significant volume of observations has been accumulated, the first-generation scan strategies can be carefully evaluated and refined. Initially, the SACR data are quality controlled, and then gridded to a Cartesian coordinates system. Here, several examples of gridded SACR observations are presented to demonstrate the fidelity of the gridding algorithm and to provide preliminary assessment of the potential of the BL-RHI scan strategy to capture the 3-D evolutions of clouds.