32nd Conference on Broadcast Meteorology/31st Conference on Radar Meteorology/Fifth Conference on Coastal Atmospheric and Oceanic Prediction and Processes

Wednesday, 6 August 2003: 5:15 PM
Evolution of drizzle cells in SE Pacific stratocumulus
Kimberly Comstock, University of Washington, Seattle, WA; and S. Yuter, C. S. Bretherton, and R. Wood
Poster PDF (122.3 kB)
Little is known about the mesoscale structure of precipitation in stratocumulus clouds. Observations obtained in the SE Pacific stratocumulus region during EPIC 2001 are uniquely suited for addressing this issue. The NOAA ship Ronald H Brown was equipped for this field program with a suite of instruments, including C-band and millimeter radars, to measure and observe the properties of the stratocumulus over several days. Radar data are composited to obtain information on drizzle cell mean characteristics. A case study of the evolution of drizzle cells is presented, using radar, sounding, meteorological, and satellite data. This synthesis of different types of measurements permits an integrated analysis of the drizzling stratocumulus in the context of the boundary layer dynamics.

Supplementary URL: http://www.atmos.washington.edu/~kcomstock/papers.html