This book presents current applications of remote sensing techniques for
clouds and precipitation for the benefit of students, educators, and
scientists. It covers ground-based systems such as weather radars and
spaceborne instruments on satellites. Measurements and modeling of
precipitation are at the core of weather forecasting, and long-term
observations of the cloud system are vital to improving atmospheric
models and climate projections. The first section of the book focuses on
the use of ground-based weather radars to observe and measure
precipitation and to detect and forecast storms, thunderstorms, and
tornadoes. It also discusses the observation of clouds using
ground-based millimeter radar. The second part of the book concentrates
on spaceborne remote sensing of clouds and precipitation. It includes
cases from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and the Global
Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, using satellite radars to
observe precipitation systems. Then, the focus is on global cloud
observations from the ClaudSat, Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared
Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), including a perspective on
the Earth Clouds, Aerosols, and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE)
satellite. It also addresses global atmospheric water vapor profiling
for clear and cloudy conditions using microwave observations. The final
part of this volume provides a perspective into advances in cloud
modeling using remote sensing observations.
