{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,12]],"date-time":"2026-02-12T11:17:42Z","timestamp":1770895062173,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2017,9,17]],"date-time":"2017-09-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1505606400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In the summertime, convective cells occur frequently over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) because of the large dynamic and thermal effects of the landmass. Measurements of vertical air velocity in convective cloud are useful for advancing our understanding of the dynamic and microphysical mechanisms of clouds and can be used to improve the parameterization of current numerical models. This paper presents a technique for retrieving high-resolution vertical air velocities in convective clouds over the TP through the use of Doppler spectra from vertically pointing Ka-band cloud radar. The method was based on the development of a \u201csmall-particle-traced\u201d idea and its associated data processing, and it used three modes of radar. Spectral broadening corrections, uncertainty estimations, and results merging were used to ensure accurate results. Qualitative analysis of two typical convective cases showed that the retrievals were reliable and agreed with the expected results inferred from other radar measurements. A quantitative retrieval of vertical air motion from a ground-based optical disdrometer was used to compare with the radar-derived result. This comparison illustrated that, while the data trends from the two methods of retrieval were in agreement while identifying the updrafts and downdrafts, the cloud radar had a much higher resolution and was able to reveal the small-scale variations in vertical air motion.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/rs9090964","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,9,19]],"date-time":"2017-09-19T07:12:50Z","timestamp":1505805170000},"page":"964","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["A Method for Retrieving Vertical Air Velocities in Convective Clouds over the Tibetan Plateau from TIPEX-III Cloud Radar Doppler Spectra"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Jiafeng","family":"Zheng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Plateau Atmosphere and Environment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, China"},{"name":"State Key Lab of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China"}]},{"given":"Liping","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Lab of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China"}]},{"given":"Keyun","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Plateau Atmosphere and Environment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, China"}]},{"given":"Jingya","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China"}]},{"given":"Binyun","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Plateau Atmosphere and Environment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, China"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,9,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Flohn, H. (1968). Contributions to a meteorology of the Tibetan highland. Atmospheric Science Paper, Colorado State University."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Ye, D.Z., and Gao, Y.X. (1979). Tibetan Plateau Meteorology, Science Press. (In Chinese)."},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"9","article-title":"Convective activities over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and adjacent regions in summer of 1995","volume":"18","author":"Zhu","year":"1999","journal-title":"Plateau Meteorol."},{"key":"ref_4","first-page":"1079","article-title":"Characteristics of the water cycle in the atmosphere over the Tibetan Plateau","volume":"72","author":"Xu","year":"2014","journal-title":"Acta Meteorol. Sin."},{"key":"ref_5","first-page":"22","article-title":"Recent progressed on dynamics of the Tibetan Plateau and Asian summer monsoon","volume":"40","author":"Wu","year":"2016","journal-title":"Chin. J. Atmos. Sci."},{"key":"ref_6","first-page":"753","article-title":"Numerical simulation of northwest China arid climate formation-effects of the Qinghai-Xizang plateau terrain and circulation field","volume":"22","author":"Qian","year":"1998","journal-title":"Chin. J. Atmos. Sci."},{"key":"ref_7","first-page":"263","article-title":"Convective clouds and mesoscale convective systems over the Tibetan Plateau in summer","volume":"26","author":"Jiang","year":"2002","journal-title":"Chin. J. Atmos. Sci."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0477(1981)062<0023:OEOTIO>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Observational evidence of the influence of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) plateau on the occurrence of heavy rain and severe convective storms in China","volume":"62","author":"Tao","year":"1981","journal-title":"Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc."},{"key":"ref_9","first-page":"428","article-title":"Thermal and dynamic integrated physical images of land-atmosphere over the Tibetan Plateau","volume":"31","author":"Xu","year":"2001","journal-title":"Sci. China Ser. D"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"546","DOI":"10.1007\/s13351-015-4208-6","article-title":"Comprehensive radar observations of clouds and precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau and Preliminary analysis of cloud properties","volume":"29","author":"Liu","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Meteorol. Res."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1504","DOI":"10.1007\/s00376-015-4254-0","article-title":"Properties of cloud and precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau","volume":"32","author":"Wang","year":"2015","journal-title":"Adv. Atmos. Sci."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"464","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0426(1990)007<0464:AASOMW>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Attenuation and scattering of millimeter wavelength radiation by clouds and precipitation","volume":"7","author":"Lhermitte","year":"1990","journal-title":"J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"201","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0426(1995)012<0201:AEOAGR>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"An evaluation of a 94-GHz radar for remote sensing of cloud properties","volume":"12","author":"Clothiaux","year":"1995","journal-title":"J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1608","DOI":"10.1175\/BAMS-88-10-1608","article-title":"Millimeter-wavelength radars: New frontier in atmospheric cloud and precipitation research","volume":"88","author":"Kollias","year":"2007","journal-title":"Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"883","DOI":"10.1175\/BAMS-88-6-883","article-title":"Cloudnet: Continuous evaluation of cloud profiles in seven operational models using ground-based observations","volume":"88","author":"Illingworth","year":"2007","journal-title":"Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"675","DOI":"10.1175\/JTECH-D-14-00066.1","article-title":"A 35-GHz polarimetric Doppler radar for long-term observations of cloud parameters\u2014Description of system and data processing","volume":"32","author":"Ulrich","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol."},{"key":"ref_17","unstructured":"Gossard, E.E., and Strauch, R.G. (1983). Radar Observations of Clear Air and Clouds, Elsevier."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"40","article-title":"Cloud radar observations of vertical drafts and microphysics in convective rain","volume":"108","author":"Kollias","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. Geophys. Res."},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"Rogers, R.R. (1964, January 14\u201318). An extension of the Z-R relation for Doppler radars. Proceedings of the 11th Weather Radar Conference AMS, Boston, MA, USA."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"983","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0469(1971)028<0983:DROODS>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Doppler radar observations of drop-size distribution in a thunderstorm","volume":"28","author":"Sekhon","year":"1971","journal-title":"J. Atmos. Sci."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"547","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0450(1981)020<0547:ANMFDH>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"A new method for deducing hydrometeor-size distributions and vertical air motions from Doppler radar measurements at vertical incidence","volume":"20","author":"Hauser","year":"1981","journal-title":"J. Appl. Meteorol."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2278","DOI":"10.1175\/JAMC-D-12-0185.1","article-title":"A summary of convective-core vertical velocity properties using ARM UHF wind profilers in Oklahoma","volume":"52","author":"Giangrande","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Appl. Meteorol. Climatol."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1125","DOI":"10.1029\/GL015i010p01125","article-title":"Observations of rain at vertical incidence with a 94 GHz Doppler radar: An insight of Mie scattering","volume":"15","author":"Lhermitte","year":"1988","journal-title":"Geophys. Res. Lett."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"712","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0426(1994)011<0712:MOCDSS>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Measurement of cloud droplet size spectra by Doppler radar","volume":"11","author":"Gossard","year":"1994","journal-title":"J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1750","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0469(2001)058<1750:ROOUDA>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Radar observations of updrafts, downdrafts, and turbulence in fair weather cumuli","volume":"58","author":"Kollias","year":"2001","journal-title":"J. Atmos. Sci."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"660","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0426(2004)021<0660:DMCPFD>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Deriving mixed-phase cloud properties from Doppler radar spectra","volume":"21","author":"Shupe","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"547","DOI":"10.1175\/2007JTECHA1007.1","article-title":"On deriving vertical air motions from cloud radar Doppler spectra","volume":"25","author":"Shupe","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"545","DOI":"10.1007\/s00376-016-6044-8","article-title":"A Ka-band solid-state transmitter cloud radar and data merging algorithm for its measurements","volume":"34","author":"Liu","year":"2017","journal-title":"Adv. Atmos. Sci."},{"key":"ref_29","first-page":"748","article-title":"Ka-band millimeter wave cloud radar data quality control","volume":"35","author":"Zheng","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Infrared Millim. Waves"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"808","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0450(1974)013<0808:ODOTNL>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Objective determination of the noise level in Doppler spectra","volume":"13","author":"Hildebrand","year":"1974","journal-title":"J. Appl. Meteorol."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1656","DOI":"10.1175\/JTECH-D-11-00195.1","article-title":"Separating cloud and drizzle radar moments during precipitation onset using Doppler spectra","volume":"30","author":"Luke","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1229","DOI":"10.1029\/97RS00250","article-title":"Statistical characteristics of the noise power spectral density in UHF and VHF wind profilers","volume":"32","author":"Petitdidier","year":"1997","journal-title":"Radio Sci."},{"key":"ref_33","unstructured":"Bouniol, D., Illingworth, A.J., and Hogan, R.J. (2003, January 7). Deriving turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate within clouds using ground based 94 GHz radar. Proceedings of the Preprints 31st International Conference on Radar Meteorology, Seattle, WA, USA."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1175\/JAM-2181.1","article-title":"Retrieving stratocumulus drizzle parameters using Doppler radar and lidar","volume":"44","author":"Hogan","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Appl. Meteorol."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1306","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0469(1977)034<1306:TVOUAW>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Time variation of updraft and water content in small cumulus clouds","volume":"34","author":"Warner","year":"1977","journal-title":"J. Atmos. Sci."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"243","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0469(1949)006<0243:TTVOFF>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"The terminal velocity of fall for water droplets in stagnant air","volume":"6","author":"Gunn","year":"1949","journal-title":"J. Meteorol."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"249","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0450(1969)008<0249:TVORA>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Terminal velocity of raindrops aloft","volume":"8","author":"Foote","year":"1969","journal-title":"J. Appl. Meteorol."}],"container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-4292\/9\/9\/964\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T18:45:11Z","timestamp":1760208311000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-4292\/9\/9\/964"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2017,9,17]]},"references-count":37,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,9]]}},"alternative-id":["rs9090964"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/rs9090964","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-4292"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-4292","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2017,9,17]]}}}