Improving Precipitation Science with TOTAL
There are several limitations with accurately measuring the amount of liquid precipitation that occurs during an event. These limitations range from handling solid winter precipitation, estimating liquid equivalent values, undercatch of precipitation in windy conditions, and errors with extreme rainfall rates.
To collect data more effectively for various radar and gauge-based studies, the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) in collaboration with the University of Oklahoma Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations (CIWRO) have built the Telemetry of Observed Total Accumulated Liquid, or TOTAL, mobile instrumentation platform. The main objective of the TOTAL platform is to collect the most accurate representation of precipitation that occurs at the surface. This data can be used to help generate more accurate radar-derived precipitation estimates as well as information that can help correct observations from standard rain gauges used throughout the country.
The TOTAL mobile instrumentation platform allows NSSL and CIWRO scientists the flexibility to study various precipitation events across the country. The ability to transport the mobile instrumentation platform for use in a variety of precipitation events will allow NSSL and CIWRO scientists the ability to measure precipitation properties from everything to snow and mixed-phase precipitation to monsoon convection, tropical cyclones, and precipitation events that generate flash flooding.
This page will provide various information about the TOTAL mobile instrumentation platform, including a description of the platform and the instruments available for it, details of TOTAL trailer deployments, and publications & presentations related to the TOTAL platform and associated projects.
