Uncertainties in rainfall retrievals from ground-based weather radar: overview, case study, and simulation experiment

R. Uijlenhoet (1) , S. H. van Der Wielen (1) , A. Berne (2)

1 Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management Group
2 LTHE - Laboratoire d'étude des transferts en hydrologie et environnement

Because rainfall constitutes the main source of water for the terrestrial hydrological processes, accurate and reliable measurement and prediction of its spatial and temporal distribution over a wide range of scales is an important goal for hydrology. We investigate the potential of ground-based weather radar to provide such measurements through a detailed analysis of the associated observation uncertainties. First, a historical perspective on measuring the space-time distribution of rainfall, from the rain gauge to the radar era, is presented. Subsequently, we provide an overview of the various errors and uncertainties affecting radar rainfall retrievals. As an example, we present a case study of the relation between measurements from an operational C-band weather radar and a network of tipping bucket rain gauges as a function of range. Finally, a recently developed stochastic model of range profiles of rainfall microstructure is employed in a simulation experiment designed to investigate the rainfall retrieval uncertainties associated with weather radars operating in different widely used frequency bands.

Domaines: Interfaces continentales, environnement; Océan, Atmosphère; Sciences de la Terre

R. Uijlenhoet, S. H. van Der Wielen, A. Berne. Uncertainties in rainfall retrievals from ground-based weather radar: overview, case study, and simulation experiment. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions, 2006, 3 (4), pp.2385-2436. ⟨hal-00330790⟩