000003674 001__ 3674
000003674 005__ 20190108153824.0
000003674 0247_ $$2DOI$$a10.5194/hess-23-93-2019
000003674 037__ $$aSCART-2019-0004
000003674 100__ $$aDelobbe, L.
000003674 245__ $$aExploring the use of underground gravity monitoring to evaluate radar estimates of heavy rainfal
000003674 260__ $$c2019
000003674 520__ $$aThe radar-based estimation of intense precipitation produced by convective storms is a challenging task and the verification through comparison with gauges is questionable due to the very high spatial variability of such types of precipitation. In this study, we explore the potential benefit of using a superconducting gravimeter as a new source of in situ observations for the evaluation of radar-based precipitation estimates. The superconducting gravimeter used in this study is installed in Membach (BE), 48 m underneath the surface, at 85 km distance from a C-band weather radar located in Wideumont (BE). The 15-year observation record 2003–2017 is available for both gravimeter and radar with 1 and 5 min time steps, respectively. Water mass increase at ground due to precipitation results in a decrease in underground measured gravity. The gravimeter integrates soil water in a radius of about 400 m around the instrument. This allows capture of rainfall at a larger spatial scale than traditional rain gauges. The precision of the gravimeter is a few tenths of nm s−2, 1 nm s−2 corresponding to 2.6 mm of water. The comparison of reflectivity and gravity time series shows that short-duration intense rainfall events produce a rapid decrease in the underground measured gravity. A remarkable correspondence between radar and gravimeter time series is found. The precipitation amounts derived from gravity measurements and from radar observations are further compared for 505 rainfall events. A correlation coefficient of 0.58, a mean bias (radar–gravimeter)/gravimeter of 0.24 and a mean absolute difference (MAD) of 3.19 mm are obtained. A better agreement is reached when applying a hail correction by truncating reflectivity values to a given threshold. No bias, a correlation coefficient of 0.64 and a MAD of 2.3 mm are reached using a 48 dBZ threshold. The added value of underground gravity measurements as a verification dataset is discussed. The two main benefits are the spatial scale at which precipitation is captured and the interesting property that gravity measurements are directly influenced by water mass at ground no matter the type of precipitation: hail or rain.
000003674 594__ $$aNO
000003674 6531_ $$aWeather Radar
000003674 6531_ $$aIntense precipitation
000003674 6531_ $$aSuperconducting gravimeter
000003674 6531_ $$aTime-varying gravity
000003674 6531_ $$aMembach
000003674 6531_ $$aWideumont
000003674 700__ $$aWatlet, A.
000003674 700__ $$aWilfert, S.
000003674 700__ $$aVan Camp, M.
000003674 773__ $$c93-105$$pHydrology and Earth System Sciences$$v23$$y2019
000003674 8560_ $$fmichel.vancamp@observatoire.be
000003674 85642 $$ahttps://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/23/93/2019/
000003674 85642 $$ahttps://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-93-2019
000003674 905__ $$apublished in
000003674 980__ $$aREFERD