Detection of Aircraft Icing Potential Areas using 3D Radar Data and Atmospheric Parameters

Aircraft icing is the formation of ice coating on the surface or parts of an aircraft when supercooled water droplets or cloud particles collide with the aircraft above the freezing altitude. The accumulation of icing on an aircraft's wings and airframe can result in increased weight and drag, decreased lift and thrust, and ultimately lead to serious aircraft accidents. To monitor and prevent the risk of aircraft accidents caused by icing, the Weather Radar Center (WRC) of the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) has developed a real-time detection algorithm for icing. We have utilized 3D radar data (reflectivity, differential reflectivity), 3D atmospheric parameters (temperature, humidity), and aircraft icing data obtained by the National Institute of Meteorological Sciences (NIMS). The characteristics of the radar and atmospheric environment parameters, which were statistically analyzed using the selected icing areas from the aircraft icing data collected between 2018 and 2022, were adopted for the icing detection algorithm. The radar and atmospheric parameters were determined to range from -15℃ to 0℃ for temperature, from 70% to 100% for humidity, from 0 dBZ to 28.5 dBZ for reflectivity, and from -0.6 dB to 2.2 dB for differential reflectivity. The algorithm was validated with other icing cases and demonstrated good performance. The developed algorithm has provided real-time information on the possibility of icing by determining areas where icing may occur within the radar coverage area over the Korean Peninsula.