Precipitation Microphysics in Tropical Cyclones: A Global Perspective Using the NASA Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar

Precipitation microphysics in tropical cyclones (TCs) are often poorly represented in numerical simulations, which ultimately affects TC structure, evolution, and prediction. This provides a large incentive to better observe and understand the underlying microphysical processes in TCs in order to improve precipitation forecasts and warning operations. 112 TCs from 2014 to 2020 were matched up with overpasses from the NASA Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) on a global scale to identify cloud properties and associated precipitation processes by quantifying vertical slopes of reflectivity in the liquid and ice phase. Further, vertical profiles of reflectivity were partitioned into different 850-200 hPa shear-relative quadrants of each storm, different annuli from the storm center, and 5 TC ocean basins globally. Preliminary results showed the highest echo top heights occurred in the Northwest Pacific and Indian Ocean basins, with all basins and quadrants exhibiting median negative slopes of KuPR in the liquid phase. Additionally, all shear-relative quadrants revealed negative slopes of reflectivity in the ice phase implying ice hydrometeor growth. These findings can potentially be used to improve the representation of cloud properties and the accuracy of the DPR particle size distribution algorithm in TCs. Tropical cyclones play a key role in the Earth's water cycle by transferring heat and moisture from the tropics to the mid-latitudes, which makes it important to better understand precipitation processes in these systems. As tropical cyclones spend a large portion of their life over the open ocean, the use of ground radar to monitor precipitation is rarely an option, which makes space-borne radar a useful tool for quantifying precipitation. This study investigates precipitation processes in tropical cyclones on a global scale using space-borne radar. The results suggest that precipitation mechanisms acting to increase or reduce the size of precipitation particles varied by ocean basin and in different areas relative to the storm center. These differences were determined based off the vertical profiles of radar reflectivity indicating a change in precipitation size and concentration with height. A 7-year global analysis of precipitation microphysics in tropical cyclones using space-borne radarThere exists differences in microphysical processes in tropical cyclones by distance from the storm center, ocean basin, and shear-relative quadrantAll ocean basins exhibit negative median slopes of reflectivity in both the liquid and ice phases, suggesting primarily hydrometeor growth