Value of spaceborne Doppler radar for characterizing convective storm dynamics

Ascertain the potential scientific value of spaceborne Doppler radar measurements, such as those from ESA’s EarthCARE 94 GHz Cloud Profiling Radar, for providing direct dynamic information to characterize the dynamical processes that define the intensity of convective storms and for assessing the representation of atmospheric moist convection in Earth system models.

Background

The paper notes that existing spaceborne radar records (e.g., TRMM, GPM, CloudSat) do not provide direct dynamical measurements such as vertical velocity needed to characterize convective storm intensity. While EarthCARE introduces Doppler capabilities, the practical utility of such spaceborne Doppler measurements for characterizing convective dynamics and constraining global models remains uncertain.

This uncertainty motivates research into whether Doppler data from space can reliably quantify dynamical processes within deep convection and improve evaluation of moist convection in Earth system models. Prior work has investigated feasibility via forward simulators and numerical weather prediction, but the overall value is still unresolved.

References

To date, the current spaceborne radar record does not have any direct dynamic information to characterize the dynamical processes defining the intensity of storms which would be valuable for assessing the representation of atmospheric moist convection in Earth system models. Additionally, the potential value of Doppler radar data from space (e.g., EarthCARE) for this purpose remains an unresolved topic of research, but has been investigated using radar forward simulators and numerical weather prediction \citep{Kollias2022}.

— A multi-frequency spaceborne radar perspective of deep convection  (2406.17110 - Chase et al., 2024) in Section 1 (Introduction)