Concept of normalized gamma distribution to describe raindrop spectra, and its use to parameterize rain relations

The T-shaped distribution has been introduced to represent the raindrop size distribution (DSD) deviating from the exponential shape. This study examines the concept of normalized T-DSD and its application to parameterize the relations between integral rain parameters (IRPs), such as W (liquid water content), Z (reflectivity factor), k (specific attenuation coefficient), and R (rain rate). The concept is tested using airborne micro-physical data gathered during TOGA/COARE experiment.