Dual-Frequency (W-Ka band) Airborne Reflectivity Profiles with Centered in Situ Particle Probe Data: A New Tool for Cloud Physics Research

A new radar, the Ka-band Profiling Radar (KPR), recently was added to the instrument suite aboard the University of Wyoming King Air (UWKA) Research Aircraft. As described in a poster at this conference (Tripp et al.), the KPR is a light-weight, low-power radar built to fit in a PMS canister. Like the Wyoming Cloud Radar (WCR), it profiles above and below flight level, with the first gate within a range of 150 m. The UWKA carries a host of in situ 2D optical array probes, spectrometers, and integrated water probes. The in situ particle characterization and close-range dual-frequency radar measurements serve as a unique resource to understand the dual-wavelength ratio (DWR), esp. in mixed phase clouds, and to evaluate and improve dual-frequency algorithms. Examples of such measurements in stratiform and convective clouds will be presented, including a flight leg coincident with a GPM overpass.