Relationship of Doppler radar measurements at 4 wavelengths to ice microphysics from IMPACTS

This study uses a combination of multi-frequency Doppler radar data from the ER-2 aircraft overlying the NASA P3 aircraft with direct measurements of the condensed water during the Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) to provide better estimates of ice particle mass and ice microphysics than has been possible in the past. Details of the ice microphysics for 10 flights will be discussed. Four flights are used for the analysis of the relationship between the ice microphysics and radar measurements at 4 wavelengths. A combination of an analysis of the fractal geometry of the ice particles, non-Rayleigh scattering cross-sections at multiple wavelengths, estimates of the Doppler velocity and the particle size distribution measurements are used in the analysis. These observations will be presented.