acoustic rain gauge

From Glossary of Meteorology
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An instrument designed to determine rainfall over lakes and oceans.

A hydrophone is used to sense the sound signatures for each drop size as rain strikes a water surface. Since each sound signature is unique, it is possible to invert the underwater sound field to estimate the drop-size distribution within the rain. Selected moments of the drop-size distribution yield rainfall rate, rainfall accumulation, and other rainfall properties.
Nystuen, J. A., et al. 1996. A comparison of automatic rain gauges. J. Atmos. Oceanic. Technol.. 13. 62–73.

Precipitation in the form of liquid water drops that have diameters greater than 0.5 mm, or, if widely scattered, the drops may be smaller.

The amount of precipitation of any type (including the liquid equivalent of frozen hydrometeors); usually taken as that amount measured by means of a rain gauge (thus a small, varying amount of direct condensation is included).

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