%0 Journal Article
%A Tapiador, F. J.
%A Navarro, A.
%A Moreno, R.
%A Jiménez-Alcazar, A.
%A Marcos, C.
%A Tokay, A.
%A Durán Montejano, Luis
%A Bodoque, J. M.
%A Martín, R.
%A Petersen, W. P.
%A Castro, M. de
%T On the optimal measuring area for pointwise rainfall estimation: a dedicated experiment with 14 laser disdrometers
%D 2017
%@ 1525-755X
%U https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/94955
%X Laser disdrometers measure the particle size distribution (PSD) of hydrometeors through a small cross-sectional (tens of square centimeters) surface. Such a limited area induces a sampling effect in the estimates of the PSD, which translates to error in the reflectivity-rain-rate (Z-R) relationship used for ground radar estimates of rainfall, estimates of kinetic energy of precipitation, and any other hydrometeorological application relying on particle size information. Here, the results of a dedicated experiment to estimate the extent of the effect of limited area sampling of rainfall are presented. Using 14 Parsivel, version 1 (Parsivel-1), disdrometers placed within 6 m(2), it was found that the combined area of at least seven disdrometers is required for the estimates to start converging to a stable value. The results can be used to quantify the degree of over-/underestimation of precipitation parameters for a single instrument due to the limited collecting area effect. It has been found that a single disdrometer may underestimate instantaneous rain rate by 70%.
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