Acoustical Rainfall Analysis

小行星9503896 该技术开发项目旨在测试和改进声学反演算法，以从海洋内的环境声场中测量降雨。 雨在水面上产生的水下声场包含了雨内水滴尺寸分布的信息。 降雨是海洋和大气之间交换热量和某些化学物质（如碳）的重要机制，但测量很少，难以进行。 将开发的技术将允许使用远程海洋漂流器和浮标来估计广大地区的降雨量。 海洋表面的降雨可以由水下传感器探测到，降雨的类型和相对强度可以通过检查声学特性来确定。 有待验证的声学技术将能够通过水滴大小分析区分雨的类型（层状雨和对流雨），并提供快速的时间响应，以便准确估计大空间尺度的降雨量。 该项目涉及在两个有多普勒天气雷达覆盖的地点安装声波接收器。 从海洋环境声场中接收和分离的声学信号将与覆盖降雨的雷达图像进行比较，以便将降雨的定量估计与特定的声学特征联系起来。 如果成功的话，声学传感器就可以被放置在海洋的偏远地区，以大大扩大对气候变化研究至关重要的降雨量的可用数据。

9503896 Nystuen This technology development project is to test and improve an acoustic inversion algorithm to measure rain from the ambient sound field within the ocean. The underwater sound field produced by rain upon the surface contains information about drop size distribution within the rain. Rainfall is an important mechanism for exchanging heat and certain chemicals such as carbon between the oceans and atmosphere, but measurements are sparse and difficult to make. The technique to be developed will allow estimation of rainfall over a broad area by using remote ocean drifters and buoys. Rainfall upon the ocean surface can be detected by underwater sensors and the type and relative intensity of rainfall may be determined by examining the acoustic characteristics. The acoustic technique to be validated will be able to differentiate between rain types (stratiform vs. convective) by drop-size analysis and provide a rapid temporal response for accurate estimates of rainfall over large spatial scales. This project involves the placement of acoustic receivers offshore from two locations where there is doppler weather radar coverage. Acoustic signals received and isolated from the ambient sound field in the ocean will be compared with radar images of overlying rainfall so that quantitative estimates of rain can be associated with specific acoustic signatures. If successful, acoustic sensors can then be placed in remote areas of the oceans to greatly expand available data on rainfall amounts that are important to studies of climate variability.