GROUND BASED RAINDROP SPECTROMETER II.
Abstract
The prototype ground-based Raindrop Spectrometer, originally completed in 1962, has been largely rebuilt, with major optical and electronic modifications incorporated. The instrument is designed to count and size automatically, by electro-optical means, all raindrops falling freely through an optically defined square sampling area of 25 sq cm. All drops larger than 0.2 mm in diameter are counted and assigned to the appropriate one of 12 size intervals; the last interval being all drops larger than 4.0 mm. The running total count of drops in each size interval is accumulated in an electronic memory for a time interval which can be preset to any duration from 5 seconds to 3 minutes. Then the stored counts are read out automatically and recorded on a paper tape punch in seconds, after which the memory clears and data accumulation begins again. The instrument can store up to 10,000 counts in each of the twelve size intervals during each data collection period. From the record, the following information can be derived: raindrop size spectra as a function of time, average volume drop radius, total rainfall or rainfall rate. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1968
- Accession Number
- AD0834441
Entities
People
- Alan M. Nathan
Organizations
- New York University