Structural Analysis of Tropical Cyclones by the APAR Observing Simulator- A Comparison Study

Hurricanes are increasingly becoming more powerful and frequent as the earth continues to warm rapidly. Scientists are challenged with understanding and predicting complex storms to mitigate impending disasters. Instruments have been developed to aid in deciphering storm microphysics and kinematics, yet many limitations have hindered the comprehensive analyses of tropical cyclones. The Airborne Phased Array Radar (APAR) represents a groundbreaking advancement in hurricane research and forecasting. APAR- a next-generation airborne radar, will provide agile scanning capabilities allowing a deeper understanding of the intricacies of atmospheric phenomena. The development of modern technology enables dual Doppler and dual polarimetric capabilities, ideal for distinguishing between cloud particles. To support APAR’s development, the APAR Observing Simulator (AOS) was created to provide realistic weather simulations of high-impact weather events. This tool computes radar moments under the expected radar characteristics of APAR and allows investigation of the capabilities of dual-polarization variables that have not yet been used often in forecasting. As such, by leveraging the advantages of APAR, the advanced structure of tropical cyclones can now be analyzed. This project investigates and compares the structure of tropical cyclones as sampled by APAR to the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission Precipitation Radar as documented in the historical literature, and observations made by the NOAA Tail Doppler Radar. Particle identification estimates are generated from simulating a C-130 flight through hurricane environments providing details on dual-pol products. With the construction of Cumulative Frequency by Altitude Diagrams and a detailed literature review, the evolution of hurricane structure characteristics is depicted. The enhanced resolution reveals significantly greater detail compared to earlier observations. This result highlights increased reflectivity values and distinct features unique to various segments of tropical cyclones. This study proves that APAR has the potential to significantly improve the understanding of tropical cyclone structure and contribute to more accurate forecasting and research in the field of meteorology.