The global precipitation mission, tropical rainfall measuring mission, and related satellites have observed a huge number of precipitating systems around the globe. Pairing high-quality ground-based…

The global precipitation mission, tropical rainfall measuring mission, and related satellites have observed a huge number of precipitating systems around the globe. Pairing high-quality ground-based radar data with coincident satellite observations can help US learn to better interpret the satellite data, and to apply that understanding to satellite observations from otherwise data-sparse regions. The relatively recent upgrade of the united states weather surveillance radar - 1988 doppler (WSR-88D) network to dual-polarization capabilities enables an independent assessment of hydrometeor types that can be paired with the satellite measurements. We propose to use data from the GPM, trmm, and WSR-88D databases to improve understanding of how different hydrometeor types (and their vertical profiles and amounts) relate to observed satellite measurements. We propose to use that new understanding to investigate precipitation retrieval quality (error characteristics and biases) associated with particular hydrometeor types or profiles. We further propose to use this improved understanding of how to interpret the satellite measurements to investigate characteristics of precipitation systems (and their related weather and climate patterns) around the globe. With the focus on improving our interpretations of GPM and related satellite measurements, our efforts will also include a theoretical component using radiative transfer modeling, and analysis of other ground-based radar products and detailed ground-based and airborne data collected during GPM field programs. The radiative transfer modeling will be grounded in observations, applying existing models (not new model development) to realistic vertical profiles of precipitation from the radar database and comparing model output to the actual satellite data. The key objectives for this research are: 1.1 build empirical relationships between GPM (and related) satellite measurements and hydrometeor types derived from groundbased dual-polarization radar. 1.2 build physical understanding of relationships between satellite measurements and hydrometeor types. 1.3 analyze GPM precipitation retrieval characteristics relative to the retrieved hydrometeor classifications; assess if certain hydrometeor types are associated with consistent biases or error characteristics in the GPM retrievals. 1.4 associate GPM precipitation features in the U.S. With derived characteristics from the WSR-88D radar network, including information on hydrometeor types and signatures of severe weather. 1.5 apply relationships from objectives 1.1-1.4 to interpret characteristics of precipitation systems throughout the GPM (and related satellites) domain.