Retrieval of Cloud and Precipitation by Ground-Based Radar and In Situ Observations: Application to Atmospheric and Volcanic Ash Clouds

Remote Sensing dedicates this Special Issue to the ground-based techniques for the estimation of cloud and precipitation parameters. Precipitation is a key element in the water cycle, which is essential for delivering and sustaining the supplies of freshwater. Climate change is modifying the frequency and intensity of severe precipitation events and this has a critical impact on hydrogeological and hydraulic risk management. The increase of urbanization has exacerbated such risks with profound socio-economic and civil protection implications. Clouds play an important role in the planet’s energy budget thanks to their great influence on the solar and infrared radiation that flows through the atmosphere. The mechanisms of energy balance variations are complex and not entirely understood and they potentially have a role in the climate modifications. For these reasons, it is essential to have information about the distribution and variability of the clouds and precipitation properties all over the Earth on a long-term basis.

In this respect ground-based networks (e.g., weather radars, cloud profiling radars) and in situ devices (e.g., rain/snow gauges, distrometers, cameras) tailored for observing clouds and precipitation play a great role

• in enhancing the quality and reliability of ground-based derived products to improve early warning tools;
• in determining the variability of precipitation characteristics on different time and space scales;
• in developing validation studies of current and new space programs for precipitation estimation worldwide.

Clouds are not just the result of atmospheric processes, but they can be originated by volcanic emissions. Volcanic emissions can have a great impact on climate and represent a hazard for air traffic and civil protection risk management. Contributions that include ground-based radar and in situ observations of volcanic clouds are also welcome.

This Special Issue has the ambition to collect multidisciplinary initiatives in the fields of heterogeneous clouds and precipitation using ground-based sensors. A non-exhaustive list of potential thematic tracks could be: rain/solid precipitation microphysical parameter estimation, severe storm processes analysis and nowcasting, satellite and ground based multi-sensors data fusion, data assimilation, radar and in situ networking at regional, national and continental level, urban scale monitoring and early warning tools, winter storms, description of ground-based climate records and observatories, algorithm innovations, validation studies, volcanic clouds observations from ground based sensors.

Dr. Mario Montopoli
Dr. Gianfranco Vulpiani
Dr. Elisa Adirosi
Guest Editors

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