| Popis: |
The raindrop size distribution (DSDs) describes the number and size distributions of raindrops in a volume of air. It is key to model the propagation of microwave signals through the atmosphere (crucial for telecommunication and remote sensing), to improve microphysical schemes in numerical weather prediction models, and to understand rain-related land surface processes (rainfall interception, soil erosion). Despite its importance, the spatial and temporal variability of the DSD remains poorly understood. This has motivated scientists all around the globe to deploy DSD recording instruments known as disdrometers, in order to collect DSD observations in various climatic regions. However, only a small fraction of this data is easily accessible. Data are stored in disparate formats with poor documentation, making them difficult to share, analyze, compare and re-use. Additionally, very limited software is currently publicly available for DSD processing. We recently undertook an initial effort to index, collect and homogenize DSD data sets across the globe, as well as to establish a global standard for DSD observation sharing. The envisioned publicly-available global database of well-maintained and homogenized disdrometer data (DISDRODB) aims to accelerate and advance precipitation research by promoting the mobilization of data archives currently scattered across various institutions. An open-source python package aims to enclose all algorithms for DISDRODB product generation and will provide an API to facilitate data preprocessing, analysis and visualization of disdrometer data. This contribution will present DISDRODB and its tools, based on a preliminary set of DSD observations from various regions in Europe. |
