Dual Polarization Radar Observations, Analysis and Retrievals of Convective Lifecycle during RELAMPAGO

传统上，气象雷达使用单偏振来观测风暴，以测量风暴内的强度和速度。 过去的研究表明，通过在雷达中使用两个正交偏振可以获取更多有关风暴、其粒子类型和演化阶段的信息。 本研究重点关注阿根廷中西部 RELAMPAGO 实验期间的双偏振雷达观测。从大冰雹发生频率、极高的风暴顶和极端闪电活动的角度来看，该地区是世界上最强烈的对流系统之一，但对该地区的强对流仍有很多未知之处。由于该地区风暴的重复性，该实验将观察这些风暴，以解决与风暴发展的起始、初始组织/恶劣天气产生和发展阶段相关的科学问题，而这些问题目前人们知之甚少。 这项研究将提高对全球强对流风暴的了解和预测能力。类似的环境存在于世界许多地方，包括美国落基山脉和亚洲（如中国成都盆地和印度次大陆的喜马拉雅平原）。该项目开发的雷达技术有可能使美国全国范围内部署的双偏振雷达受益。该项目将专门针对一些最强烈的对流风暴中双偏振雷达观测的分析和反演，开发先进的反演技术。 RELAMPAGO 实地观测装置将阐明复杂地形与恶劣天气产生之间的紧密联系、地形在引发和发展有组织对流风暴及其强度方面的作用。 先进雷达技术的开发和应用，特别是使用频域程序来识别风暴中降水颗粒的类型是该项目的重要组成部分。

Traditionally meteorological radars have observed storms using single polarization to measure the intensity and velocity within storms. Past research has shown that significantly more information about the storms, their particle types, and stage of evolution can be gleamed from using two orthogonal polarizations in radars. This research focuses on the dual-polarization radar observations during the RELAMPAGO experiment in west Central Argentina. This region has among the most intense convective systems in the world in terms of frequency of large hail, very high storm tops, and extreme lightning activity, yet much remains unknown about the intense convection in this region. Because of the repeatability of storms in the region, this experiment will observe these storms to address science questions related to the initiation, initial organization/severe-weather generation, and growth stages of storm development, which are poorly understood. This research will improve the understanding of, and the ability to predict, severe convective storms worldwide. Similar environments exist in many parts of the world including the US Rocky Mountains and Asia (such as Chengdu basin in China and Himalayan plains on the Indian subcontinent). The radar techniques developed from this project has the potential to benefit all the nationwide deployment of dual-polarization radars in the US.This project will specifically address the analysis and retrieval of dual-polarization radar observations in some of the most intense convective storms, developing advanced retrieval techniques. The RELAMPAGO field observation set up will elucidate the tight connections between the, complex terrain, and the production of severe weather, role of terrain in initiating and developing organized convective storms and resultant intensity. Development and application of advanced radar techniques, specially using frequency domain procedures, to identify the type of precipitation particles in the storm is an important part of this project.