Polarimetric Radar Estimators Based on a Constrained Gamma Drop Size Distribution Model

Abstract

Raindrop size distribution (DSD) retrieval from remote radar measurements or from in situ disdrometer measurements is an important area of research. If the shape () and slope () of a three-parameter gamma distribution n(D) N 0 D exp(D ) are related to one another, as recent disdrometer measurements suggest, the gamma DSD model is simplified to a two-parameter DSD, that is, a constrained gamma DSD. An empirical relation between the and was derived using moments estimated from video-disdrometer measurements.