Precipitation Type Classification Method for Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) Onboard the GPM

Precipitation classification is a critical module in the retrieval algorithm set, for the dual-frequency precipitation radar (DPR) that will be onboard the global precipitation measurement (GPM) core satellite. Precipitation type classification namely stratiform, convective, and other rain type classification is an important part of the classification module. Characteristics of measured dual-frequency ratio ( DFRm), defined as the difference between measured reflectivity at two frequency channels (Ku- andKa- band), were studied for different rain types. This paper shows that DFRm can be used to separate stratiform and convective rain. In this paper, a precipitation type classification model is developed for DPR profile classification using characteristics ofDFRm. Data collected by the airborne PR (ARP-2) in NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis, Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes, and Wakasa Bay campaigns are employed in model validation. The performance of the precipitation classification method for the GPM-DPR resolution is evaluated and is shown to be applicable to the GPM resolution.