Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-1-2014
Abstract
A network of optical disdrometers (including laser precipitation monitors and a two‐dimensional video disdrometer) was utilized to determine whether the recent reports of “superterminal” raindrops were spurious results of drop breakup occurring on instrumentation. Results unequivocally show that superterminal raindrops at small (less than 1 mm) sizes are ubiquitous, are measurable over an extended area, and appear in every rain event investigated. No evidence was found to suggest that superterminal drops are the result of drop breakup due to impact with the measurement instrument; thus, if the superterminal drops are the result of drop fragmentation, this fragmentation happens in the ambient atmosphere during all rain events measured in this study. The ubiquity of superterminal drops at small drop sizes raises natural questions regarding rain accumulation estimations, estimates of drop size distributions, and erosion characterization.
Publication Title
Goephysical Research Letters
Recommended Citation
Larsen, M. L.,
Kostinski, A.,
&
Jameson, A. R.
(2014).
Further evidence for superterminal raindrops.
Goephysical Research Letters,
41(19), 6914-6918.
http://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL061397
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/physics-fp/178
Version
Publisher's PDF
Publisher's Statement
©2014. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Article deposited here in compliance with publisher policies. Publisher's version of record: https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL061397