scholarly journals Wideband Reception and Processing for Dual-Polarization Radars with Dual Transmitters

2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sutanay Choudhury ◽  
V. Chandrasekar

Abstract Oversampling pulsed Doppler radar returns at a rate larger than the pulse bandwidth, whitening the range samples, and subsequent averaging has been pursued as a potential way to decrease the measured standard deviation of signal parameter estimates. It has been shown that the application of oversampling, whitening, and subsequent averaging improves the quality of reflectivity, mean velocity, and spectral width estimates in agreement with theory. Application of this procedure to a dual-polarization radar with dual transmitters is evaluated in this paper. Oversampled data collected from the Colorado State University (CSU)-University of Chicago–Illinois State Water Survey (CHILL) radar using a wideband receiver are analyzed to evaluate the performance of dual-polarization parameter estimators, such as differential reflectivity and differential phase. The negative impact of relative phase characteristics of the transmitted pulses in two polarizations on the copolar correlation, and subsequently on polarimetric parameter estimation, is analyzed. CSU-CHILL radar’s transmitted pulse sampling capability is used to evaluate the impact of the transmitted waveform’s mismatch on whitening and estimation.

2012 ◽  
Vol 140 (7) ◽  
pp. 2147-2167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuanli Li ◽  
John R. Mecikalski

Abstract The dual-polarization (dual pol) Doppler radar can transmit/receive both horizontally and vertically polarized power returns. The dual-pol radar measurements have been shown to provide a more accurate precipitation estimate compared to traditional radars. In this study, the horizontal reflectivity ZH, differential reflectivity ZDR, specific differential phase KDP, and radial velocity VR collected by the C-band Advanced Radar for Meteorological and Operational Research (ARMOR) are assimilated for two convective storms. A warm-rain scheme is constructed to assimilate ZH, ZDR, and KDP data using the three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR) system with the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting Model (ARW-WRF). The main goals of this study are first to demonstrate and compare the impact of various dual-pol variables in initialization of real case convective storms and second to test how the dual-pol fields may be better used with a 3DVAR system. The results show that the ZH, ZDR, KDP, and VR data substantially improve the initial condition for two mesoscale convective storms. Significant positive impacts on short-term forecast are obtained for both storms. Additionally, KDP and ZDR data assimilation is shown to be superior to ZH and ZDR and ZH-only data assimilation when the warm-rain microphysics is adopted. With the ongoing upgrade of the current Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) network to include dual-pol capabilities (started in early 2011), the findings from this study can be a helpful reference for utilizing the dual-pol radar data in numerical simulations of severe weather and related quantitative precipitation forecasts.


2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 844-858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick C. Kennedy ◽  
Steven A. Rutledge

AbstractThis study is based on analyses of dual-polarization radar observations made by the 11-cm-wavelength Colorado State University–University of Chicago–Illinois State Water Survey (CSU–CHILL) system during four significant winter storms in northeastern Colorado. It was found that values of specific differential phase KDP often reached local maxima of ∼0.15°–0.4° km−1 in an elevated layer near the −15°C environmental temperature isotherm. The passage of these elevated positive KDP areas is shown to be linked to increased surface precipitation rates. Calculations using a microwave scattering model indicate that populations of highly oblate ice particles with moderate bulk densities and diameters in the ∼0.8–1.2-mm range can generate KDP (and differential reflectivity ZDR) values that are consistent with the radar observations. The persistent correlation between the enhanced KDP level and the −15°C temperature regime suggests that rapidly growing dendrites likely played a significant role in the production of the observed KDP patterns. The detection of organized regions of S-band KDP values greater than ∼0.1°–0.2° km−1 in winter storms may therefore be useful in identifying regions of active dendritic particle growth, as a precursor to aggregate snowfall.


2006 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 1195-1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Chandrasekar ◽  
S. Lim ◽  
E. Gorgucci

Abstract To design X-band radar systems as well as evaluate algorithm development, it is useful to have simultaneous X-band observation with and without the impact of path attenuation. One way to develop that dataset is through theoretical models. This paper presents a methodology to generate realistic range profiles of radar variables at attenuating frequencies, such as X band, for rain medium. Fundamental microphysical properties of precipitation, namely, size and shape distribution information, are used to generate realistic profiles of X band starting with S-band observation. Conditioning the simulation from S band maintains the natural distribution of rainfall microphysical parameters. Data from the Colorado State University’s University of Chicago–Illinois State Water Survey (CHILL) radar and the National Center for Atmospheric Research S-band dual-polarization Doppler radar (S-POL) are used to simulate X-band radar variables. Three procedures to simulate the radar variables and sample applications are presented.


2015 ◽  
Vol 54 (9) ◽  
pp. 1944-1969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoqin Jing ◽  
Bart Geerts ◽  
Katja Friedrich ◽  
Binod Pokharel

AbstractThe impact of ground-based glaciogenic seeding on wintertime orographic, mostly stratiform clouds is analyzed by means of data from an X-band dual-polarization radar, the Doppler-on-Wheels (DOW) radar, positioned on a mountain pass. This study focuses on six intensive observation periods (IOPs) during the 2012 AgI Seeding Cloud Impact Investigation (ASCII) project in Wyoming. In all six storms, the bulk upstream Froude number below mountaintop exceeded 1 (suggesting unblocked flow), the clouds were relatively shallow (with bases below freezing), some liquid water was present, and orographic flow conditions were mostly steady. To examine the silver iodide (AgI) seeding effect, three study areas are defined (a control area, a target area upwind of the crest, and a lee target area), and comparisons are made between measurements from a treated period and those from an untreated period. Changes in reflectivity and differential reflectivity observed by the DOW at low levels during seeding are consistent with enhanced snow growth, by vapor diffusion and/or aggregation, for a case study and for the composite analysis of all six IOPs, especially at close range upwind of the mountain crest. These low-level changes may have been affected by natural changes aloft, however, as evident from differences in the evolution of the echo-top height in the control and target areas. Even though precipitation in the target region is strongly correlated with that in the control region, the authors cannot definitively attribute the change to seeding because there is a lack of knowledge about natural variability, nor can the outcome be generalized, because the sample size is small.


2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Cifelli ◽  
V. Chandrasekar ◽  
S. Lim ◽  
P. C. Kennedy ◽  
Y. Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract The efficacy of dual-polarization radar for quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) has been demonstrated in a number of previous studies. Specifically, rainfall retrievals using combinations of reflectivity (Zh), differential reflectivity (Zdr), and specific differential phase (Kdp) have advantages over traditional Z–R methods because more information about the drop size distribution (DSD) and hydrometeor type are available. In addition, dual-polarization-based rain-rate estimators can better account for the presence of ice in the sampling volume. An important issue in dual-polarization rainfall estimation is determining which method to employ for a given set of polarimetric observables. For example, under what circumstances does differential phase information provide superior rain estimates relative to methods using reflectivity and differential reflectivity? At Colorado State University (CSU), an optimization algorithm has been developed and used for a number of years to estimate rainfall based on thresholds of Zh, Zdr, and Kdp. Although the algorithm has demonstrated robust performance in both tropical and midlatitude environments, results have shown that the retrieval is sensitive to the selection of the fixed thresholds. In this study, a new rainfall algorithm is developed using hydrometeor identification (HID) to guide the choice of the particular rainfall estimation algorithm. A separate HID algorithm has been developed primarily to guide the rainfall application with the hydrometeor classes, namely, all rain, mixed precipitation, and all ice. Both the data collected from the S-band Colorado State University–University of Chicago–Illinois State Water Survey (CSU–CHILL) radar and a network of rain gauges are used to evaluate the performance of the new algorithm in mixed rain and hail in Colorado. The evaluation is also performed using an algorithm similar to the one developed for the Joint Polarization Experiment (JPOLE). Results show that the new CSU HID-based algorithm provides good performance for the Colorado case studies presented here.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1885-1906 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Hubbert

AbstractTemporal differential reflectivity bias variations are investigated using the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) S-band dual-polarization Doppler radar (S-Pol). Using data from the Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera-Ready (MASCRAD) Experiment, S-Pol measurements over extended periods reveal a significant correlation between the ambient temperature at the radar site and the bias. Using radar scans of the sun and the ratio of cross-polar powers, the components of the radar that cause the variation of the bias are identified. It is postulated that the thermal expansion of the antenna is likely the primary cause of the observed bias variation. The cross-polar power (CP) calibration technique, which is based on the solar and cross-polar power measurements, is applied to data from the Plains Elevated Convection at Night (PECAN) field project. The bias from the CP technique is compared to vertical-pointing bias measurements, and the uncertainty of the bias estimates is given. An algorithm is derived to correct the radar data for the time- and temperature-varying bias. Bragg scatter measurements are used to corroborate the CP technique bias measurements.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-54
Author(s):  
Olabode Eric Olabisi

As the prices of daily needs are aggravating in Nigeria, the value of the country’s currency (naira) is less appreciated on a daily basis, and this pose a threat to a good standard of living in Nigeria. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of foreign capital inflows on the persistent increase in inflation in Nigeria over the period of 1985 to 2019. The Autoregressive Distributed Lags was used to obtain the parameter estimates of the long run relationship between foreign capital inflows and inflation. By using the Forecast Error Variance Decomposition techniques, the cause-effect analysis of foreign capital inflows and inflation was determined. Results provide evidence of a long run relationship between the series. Results further indicate that inflation is sensitive to foreign capital inflows variables such as net official development assistance received and remittance inflows in Nigeria. Policies that reduce the negative impact on inflation are recommended in the body of the paper.


2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1008-1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmitri N. Moisseev ◽  
V. Chandrasekar

This paper presents a method to retrieve raindrop size distributions (DSD) from slant profile dual-polarization Doppler spectra observations. It is shown that using radar measurements taken at a high elevation angle raindrop size distributions can be retrieved without making an assumption on the form of a DSD. In this paper it is shown that drop size distributions can be retrieved from Doppler power spectra by compensating for the effect of spectrum broadening and mean velocity shift. To accomplish that, spectrum deconvolution is used where the spectral broadening kernel width and wind velocity are estimated from spectral differential reflectivity measurements. Since convolution kernel is estimated from dual-polarization Doppler spectra observations and does not require observation of a clear-air signal, this method can be used by most radars capable of dual-polarization spectra measurements. To validate the technique, sensitivity of this method to the underlying assumptions and calibration errors is evaluated on realistic simulations of radar observations. Furthermore, performance of the method is illustrated on Colorado State University–University of Chicago–Illinois State Water Survey radar (CSU–CHILL) measurements of stratiform precipitation.


2007 ◽  
Vol 135 (4) ◽  
pp. 1522-1543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard B. Bluestein ◽  
Michael M. French ◽  
Robin L. Tanamachi ◽  
Stephen Frasier ◽  
Kery Hardwick ◽  
...  

Abstract A mobile, dual-polarization, X-band, Doppler radar scanned tornadoes at close range in supercells on 12 and 29 May 2004 in Kansas and Oklahoma, respectively. In the former tornadoes, a visible circular debris ring detected as circular regions of low values of differential reflectivity and the cross-correlation coefficient was distinguished from surrounding spiral bands of precipitation of higher values of differential reflectivity and the cross-correlation coefficient. A curved band of debris was indicated on one side of the tornado in another. In a tornado and/or mesocyclone on 29 May 2004, which was hidden from the view of the storm-intercept team by precipitation, the vortex and its associated “weak-echo hole” were at times relatively wide; however, a debris ring was not evident in either the differential reflectivity field or in the cross-correlation coefficient field, most likely because the radar beam scanned too high above the ground. In this case, differential attenuation made identification of debris using differential reflectivity difficult and it was necessary to use the cross-correlation coefficient to determine that there was no debris cloud. The latter tornado’s parent storm was a high-precipitation (HP) supercell, which also spawned an anticyclonic tornado approximately 10 km away from the cyclonic tornado, along the rear-flank gust front. No debris cloud was detected in this tornado either, also because the radar beam was probably too high.


2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (11) ◽  
pp. 2285-2301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Rutledge ◽  
V. Chandrasekar ◽  
Brody Fuchs ◽  
Jim George ◽  
Francesc Junyent ◽  
...  

AbstractA new, advanced radar has been developed at Colorado State University (CSU). The Sea-Going Polarimetric (SEA-POL) radar is a C-band, polarimetric Doppler radar specifically designed to deploy on research ships. SEA-POL is the first such weather radar developed in the United States. Ship-based weather radars have a long history, dating back to GATE in 1974. The GATE radars measured only reflectivity. After GATE, ship radars also provided Doppler measurements. SEA-POL represents the next advancement by adding dual-polarization technology, the ability to transmit and receive both horizontal and vertical polarizations. This configuration provides information about hydrometeor size, shape, and phase. As a result, superior rain-rate estimates are afforded by the dual-polarization technology, along with hydrometeor identification and overall improved data quality. SEA-POL made its first deployment as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study, second field phase (SPURS-2) fall 2017 cruise to the eastern tropical Pacific, sailing on the R/V Roger Revelle. SPURS-2 was a field project to investigate the fate of freshwater deposited on the ocean’s surface. Oceanographers are keenly interested in how fast these freshwater patches mix out by wind and upper-ocean turbulence, as the less dense rainfall sitting atop the salty ocean inhibits mixing through increased stability. To this end, during SPURS-2, SEA-POL produced rain maps identifying the location of freshwater lenses on the ocean’s surface thereby providing context for measurements of SST and salinity. Examples of SEA-POL polarization measurements are also discussed to assess microphysical processes within oceanic convection. Future ocean-based field campaigns will now benefit from SEA-POL’s advanced dual-polarization technology.


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