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Cloud and precipitation processes are the main source of uncertainties in weather prediction and climate change projections since decades. A major part of these uncertainties can be attributed to missing observations suitable to challenge the representation of cloud and precipitation processes in atmospheric models. Since 2015 the whole atmosphere over Germany is monitored by 17 state-of-the-art polarimetric Doppler weather radars, which provide every five minutes 3D information on the liquid and frozen precipitating particles and their movements on a sub-kilometer resolution, which is also approached by the atmospheric models for weather prediction and climate studies. Data assimilation merges observations and models for state estimation as a requisite for prediction and can be considered as a smart interpolation between observations while exploiting the physical consistency of atmospheric models as mathematical constraints. However, considerable knowledge gaps exist both in radar polarimetry and atmospheric models, which impede the full exploitation of the triangle radar polarimetry - atmospheric models - data assimilation.

Thus, the Priority Programme builds upon the hypothesis that a coordinated effort in exploiting the synergy of polarimetric radar observations and atmospheric models will
o overcome current obstacles, which hinder the fusion of polarimetric radar observations and atmospheric models via data assimilation on scales which govern precipitating weather systems,
o provide a most effective research approach to cloud- and precipitation processes, that enables a thorough evaluation and improvement of parameterisations of moist processes in atmospheric models,
o allow for new insights into the atmospheric energy budget and the cycling between its different forms in moist atmospheric processes, and
o lead to innovations of our capabilities to predict convective cloud development and thunderstorms.

The programme invites proposals towards an improved scientific understanding of moist processes in the atmosphere at the verges of the three disciplines for better predictions of precipitating cloud systems by addressing the following objectives:
o exploitation of radar polarimetry for quantitative process detection in precipitating clouds and for model evaluation
o improvement of cloud and precipitation schemes in atmospheric models based on process fingerprints detectable in polarimetric observations
o monitoring of the energy budget evolution due to phase changes in the cloudy, precipitating atmosphere for a better understanding of its dynamics
o generation of precipitation system analyses by assimilation of polarimetric radar observations into atmospheric models for weather forecasting
o radar-based detection of the initiation of convection for the improvement of thunderstorm prediction

For scientific enquiries please contact the Priority Programme coordinator:
PD Dr. Silke Trömel
Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
Institut für Geowissenschaften
Abteilung Meteorologie
Auf dem Hügel 20, 53121 Bonn
phone +49 228 735779, silke.troemel@uni-bonn.de

Questions on the DFG proposal process can be directed to:
Programme contact:
Dr. Daniel Weymann, phone +49 228 885-2760, daniel.weymann@dfg.de
Administrative contact:
Pia Schmidgen, phone +49 228 885-2034, pia.schmidgen@dfg.de

Further information:
www.dfg.de/foerderung/info_wissenschaft/2021/info_wissenschaft_21_13