Drop axis ratios from a 2D video disdrometer

Results from an experiment to measure the drop shapes using a 2D video disdrometer (2DVD) are reported. Under calm conditions, drops were generated from a hose located on a bridge 80 m above ground, this height being sufficient to allow drop oscillations to reach a steady state. The disdrometer data had to be carefully processed so as to eliminate the drops mismatched by the instrument and to remove the system spreading function. The total number of drops analyzed was around 115 000. Their axis ratio distributions were obtained for diameters ranging from 1.5 to 9 mm. The mean axis ratio decreases with increasing drop diameter, in agreement with the upper bound of the Beard and Chuang equilibrium shape model. The inferred mode of oscillation appears to be dominated by the oblate-prolate axisymmetric mode for the diameter range of 1.5 to 9 mm. The mean axis ratio agrees well with two empirically fitted formulas reported in earlier studies. In addition, a linear fit was applied to the data for radar applications relating to rain retrievals from dual-polarization measurements. The 2DVD data taken in moderate stratiform rain were also analyzed in a similar way and the results agree with the artificially generated drop experiment, at least up to 4 mm. No data for larger diameters were available for stratiform precipitation. Finally, the fall velocity was examined in terms of drop diameter. The results closely follow an empirical formula fitted to the Gunn and Kinzer data as well as the Beard and Pruppacher data including a slight decrease in the terminal velocity with a diameter beyond 7 mm.