Retrieving the Median Volume Diameter with a Polarimetric Cloud Radar

The knowledge of the raindrop size distribution is key for characterizing precipitation. It is however still a challenge to retrieve it with radars. Several polarimetric and spectral techniques are proposed for cm-wavelength radars (weather radars). What about the mm-wavelength radars (cloud radars), which have a better spatial and time...

A critical evaluation of the adequacy of the gamma model for representing raindrop size distributions

The adequacy of the gamma model to describe the variability of raindrop size distributions (DSD) is studied using observations from an optical disdrometer. Model adequacy is checked using a combination of Kolmogorov–Smirnov goodness-of-fit test and Kullback–Leibler divergence and the sensitivity of the results to the sampling resolution is...

Something fishy going on! Evaluating the Poisson hypothesis for rainfall estimation using intervalometers: first results from an experiment in Tanzania

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to climate change. This is largely driven by the dependence on rain fed agriculture for food production. At the same time African climate observational networks have been in decline since the 1990s. A new kind of rainfall sensor (the intervalometer), which counts the arrival...

Spray Characteristics in Gas / Liquid Pintle Injection

In Liquid Rocket Engine (LRE) design, knowledge of how the propellant atomization quality varies with respect to some injector design variables would be useful in predicting LRE performance. Three spray characteristics were chosen as a measure of Atomization quality: the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD), the drop size distribution, and the cone angle....

Global Precipitation Measurement data compared to ground based disdrometer measurements: A case study in the Netherlands and Myanmar

Additional thesis - Rapid advancements in satellite observation technologies have resulted in an unprecedented availability of remotely sensed rainfall characteristics. These freely available precipitation measurements could be of great value for improving current weather prediction, particularly in developing countries where other data is...