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Building the foundations for a physically based passive microwave precipitation retrieval algorithm over the US Southern Great Plains

dc.contributor.authorRingerud, Sarah, author
dc.contributor.authorKummerow, Christian D., advisor
dc.contributor.authorPeters-Lidard, Christa D., advisor
dc.contributor.authorReising, Steven C., committee member
dc.contributor.authorvan den Heever, Susan C., committee member
dc.contributor.authorVonder Haar, Thomas H., committee member
dc.date.accessioned2015-08-27T03:56:49Z
dc.date.available2015-08-27T03:56:49Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.description.abstractThe recently launched NASA Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM) offers the opportunity for a greatly increased understanding of global rainfall and the hydrologic cycle. The GPM algorithm team has made improvements in passive microwave remote sensing of precipitation over land a priority for this mission, and implemented a framework allowing for algorithm advancement for individual land surface types as new techniques are developed. In contrast to the radiometrically cold ocean surface, land emissivity in the microwave is large with highly dynamic variability. An accurate understanding of the instantaneous, dynamic emissivity in terms of the associated surface properties is necessary for a physically based retrieval scheme over land, along with realistic profiles of frozen and liquid hydrometeors. In an effort to better simulate land surface microwave emissivity, a combined modeling technique is developed and tested over the US Southern Great Plains (SGP) area. The National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Noah land surface model is utilized for surface information, with inputs optimized for SGP. A physical emissivity model, using land surface model data as input, is used to calculate emissivity at the 10 GHz frequency, combining contributions from the underlying soil and vegetation layers, including the dielectric and roughness effects of each medium. An empirical technique is then applied, based upon a robust set of observed channel covariances, extending the emissivity calculations to all channels. The resulting emissivities can then be implemented in calculation of upwelling microwave radiance, and combined with ancillary datasets to compute brightness temperatures (Tbs) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). For calculation of the hydrometeor contribution, reflectivity profiles from the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission Precipitation Radar (TRMM-PR) are utilized along with coincident Tbs from the TRMM radiometer (TMI), and cloud resolving model data from NASA-Goddard's MMF model. Ice profiles are modified to be consistent with the higher frequency microwave Tbs. Resulting modeled TOA Tbs show correlations to observations of 0.9 along with biases 1K or less and small RMS error and show improved agreement over the use of climatological emissivity values. The synthesis of the emissivity and cloud resolving model input with satellite and ancillary datasets leads to creation of a unique Tb database for SGP that includes both dynamic surface and atmospheric information physically consistent with the LSM, emissivity model, and atmospheric information, for use in a Bayesian-type precipitation retrieval scheme utilizing a technique that can easily be applied to GPM as data becomes available.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediumdoctoral dissertations
dc.identifierRingerud_colostate_0053A_12816.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/166864
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectland surface
dc.subjectprecipitation
dc.subjectmicrowave
dc.subjectemissivity
dc.titleBuilding the foundations for a physically based passive microwave precipitation retrieval algorithm over the US Southern Great Plains
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineAtmospheric Science
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

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