STUDY ON SUMMER RAINDROP SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND RETRIEVED POLARIMETRIC RADAR PARAMETER OVER LEIZHOU PENINSULA

Abstract. Leizhou peninsula is located in the south of Guangdong Province, near South China Sea, and has a tropical and subtropical monsoon climate. Based on observed drop size distribution (DSD) data from July 2007 to August 2007 with PARSIVEL disdrometers deployed at Zhanjiang and Suixi, the characterists of DSDs are studied. Non-linear least squares method is used to fit Gamma distribution. Convective and stratiform averaged DSDs are in good agreement with Gamma distribution, especially in stratiform case. Convective average DSDs have a wider spectrum and higher peak. Microphysical parameter differences between convective and stratiform are discussed, convective precipitation has a higher mass-weighted mean diameter (D_m) and generalized intercepts (N_w) in both areas. The constrained relations between Gamma distribution parameter (μ, Λ, N₀) is derived. The retrieved polarimetric radar parameter (K_DP, Z_DR, Z_h) have a good self-consistency, which can be used to improve the accuracy of K_DP calculation. R-K_DP-Z_DR is superior to the R-K_DP, R-Z_DR-Z_h in quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE), with a correlation coefficient higher than 0.98.