Vertically Resolved Precipitation Intensity Retrieved through a Synergy between the Ground-Based NASA MPLNET Lidar Network Measurements, Surface Disdrometer Datasets and an Analytical Model Solution

• Main Authors: Simone Lolli, Leo Pio D’Adderio, James R. Campbell, Michaël Sicard, Ellsworth J. Welton, Andrea Binci, Alessandro Rea, Ali Tokay, Adolfo Comerón, Ruben Barragan, Jose Maria Baldasano, Sergi Gonzalez, Joan Bech, Nicola Afflitto, Jasper R. Lewis, Fabio Madonna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-07-01
• Series: Remote Sensing
• Subjects: rainfall; lidar; disdrometer; evaporation; meteorology; climate change; latent heat; precipitation
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/7/1102

In this paper, we illustrate a new, simple and complementary ground-based methodology to retrieve the vertically resolved atmospheric precipitation intensity through a synergy between measurements from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Micropulse Lidar network (MPLNET), an analytical model solution and ground-based disdrometer measurements. The presented results are obtained at two mid-latitude MPLNET permanent observational sites, located respectively at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, USA, and at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. The methodology is suitable to be applied to existing and/or future lidar/ceilometer networks with the main objective of either providing near real-time (3 h latency) rainfall intensity measurements and/or to validate satellite missions, especially for critical light precipitation (<3 mm h−1).