Summary of my most recent results, with a note on potential applications. Was presented at the the 2010 CG/AR (Center for Geosciences and Atmospheric Research) Annual Program Review.Read less
![[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Introduction Mean TPW given Rain Rate References Data/Products ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Applications Joyce, R.J., J.E. Janowiak, P.A. Arkin, and P. Xie, 2004: CMORPH: A Method that Produces Global Precipitation Estimates from Passive Microwave and Infrared Data at High Spatial and Temporal Resolution. J. Hydrometeor. , 5 ,487-503. Kidder, S.Q. and A.S. Jones, 2007: A Blended Satellite Total Precipitable Water Product for Operational Forecasting. J. Atmos.Oceanic Technol. , 24 , 74-81. Acknowledgements This research is supported by the DoD Center for Geosciences/Atmospheric Research at Colorado State University under Cooperative Agreement W911NF-06-2-0015 with the Army Research Laboratory. RR vs TPW over an area off the coast of Florida . There is not a 1:1 relationship between TPW and RR. However, a relationship does exist; higher rain rates are more likely for certain TPW values. ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Comparing the peak of the TPW distribution and the slope of the RR distribution for each grid box and comparing these quantities globally indicates a latitude-dependent relationship. RR > 2.0 mm/hr 0.1< RR <0.5 mm/hr For higher rain rate values, the distribution of TPW is skewed toward higher values. For instance, for RR > 2.0 mm/hr, there are relatively few cases of TPW < 12.5 mm, whereas for 0.1< RR <0.5 mm/hr, those lower TPW values are more prevalent. These plots represent 35 months of data. The red dots indicate areas that have been more intensely studied. Atmospheric water vapor is a necessary condition for precipitation, an important variable in the global water budget. This project intends to better understand the relationship between total precipitable water (TPW) and rainfall rate (RR) in order to facilitate rainfall prediction in the absence of direct measurements. Understanding these two quantities is potentially useful for several purposes, including predicting the probability of rain, analyzing the performance of models, and comparing satellite retrieval algorithms. Although this study is mainly over the ocean, the same concepts may be used in a similar study when a valid dataset for TPW over land becomes available. The probability of rain (i.e., RR>0.1 mm/hr) off the coast of Florida . Rain is unlikely for TPW < 40 mm. Similar plots were made for the other areas indicated on the global maps above, each with different features, indicative of spatial variations. Distributions of TPW and RR Future Work ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Distribution of TPW off the coast of Florida Distribution of RR off the coast of Florida Information about the probability of rainfall is useful for forecasters. No Annual Cycle With Annual Cycle](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/dodposterhowell2010-12711090442046-phpapp01/85/DoD-Poster-Howell-2010-1-320.jpg)
