Validation of multiple-Doppler analysis of convective clouds using the ARM multi-frequency radar network during MC3E

Convective processes play an important role in Earth's energy balance by redistributing heat and moisture throughout the atmosphere. Vertical air motions associated with these processes are inherently linked to the life cycle of these convective systems and are therefore directly tied to their energetic impacts. Despite this importance, the spatial and temporal scales of these vertical air motions are poorly understood and not accurately represented in convective parameterization schemes found in numerical weather prediction models. A radar data assimilation tool based on a 3-dimensional variational technique has been developed to study these vertical air motions within convective clouds. However, in order to trust the output of this tool, its sensitivities and accuracies need to be properly characterized. Scanning precipitation radars located at the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) site are used in the assimilation process to retrieve vertical air motions for selected convective cases during the recent Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E). Using a statistical approach, the veracity of these retrievals is evaluated by comparing them with observations from the UHF ARM Zenith-pointing Radar (UAZR) network located at SGP.