Airborne Phased-Array Radar (APAR): The Next Generation of Airborne Polarimetric Doppler Weather Radar

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanda Grubišić ◽  
Wen-Chau Lee ◽  
Louis L. Lussier
Keyword(s):  
National Science Foundation ◽  
Phased Array ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Advisory Panel ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Phased Array Radar ◽  
National Science ◽  
Electronically Scanned Arrays ◽  
Airborne Phased Array Radar

<p>This paper presents a configuration of a novel, airborne phased array radar (APAR) motivated by major advances in cellular technology, component miniaturization, and radar antenna simulation software. This has paved the way for a next-generation radar being designed by NCAR/EOL to be installed on the NSF/NCAR C-130 aircraft. The APAR system will consist of four removable C-band active electronically scanned arrays (AESA) strategically placed on the fuselage of the aircraft. Each AESA measures approximately 1.5 x 1.5 m and is composed of 2368 active radiating elements arranged in a total of 37 line replaceable units (LRU). Each LRU is composed of 64 radiating elements that are the building block of the APAR system.</p><p> </p><p>Polarimetric measurements are not available from current airborne tail Doppler radars. However, APAR, with dual-Doppler and dual polarization diversity at a lesser attenuating C-band wavelength, will further advance the understanding of the microphysical processes within a variety of precipitation systems<em>. </em>Such unprecedented observations, in conjunction with the advanced radar data assimilation schema, will be able to address the key science questions to improve understanding and predictability of significant weather.</p><p>A Mid-scale Research Infrastructure proposal is submitted to the National Science Foundation to request the implementation cost. The development is expected to take ~5 years after the funding is in place. It adopts a phased approach as an active risk assessment and mitigation strategy. At the present time, both the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are funding the APAR project for risk reduction activities. The APAR Team is actively seeking partners in industry and in the university community. An APAR science and engineering advisory panel has been organized.</p><p> </p><p>The authors will review the overall design and current progress of APAR and outline ambitious future development work needed to bring this exceptional tool into full operation.</p>

scholarly journals Tornado Warning Decisions Using Phased-Array Radar Data

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Heinselman ◽  
Daphne LaDue ◽  
Darrel M. Kingfield ◽  
Robert Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Lead Time ◽  
Phased Array ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Probability Of Detection ◽  
Probability Of False Alarm ◽  
Temporal Sampling ◽  
Phased Array Radar ◽  
Tornado Warnings ◽  
Tornado Warning

Abstract The 2012 Phased Array Radar Innovative Sensing Experiment identified how rapidly scanned full-volumetric data captured known mesoscale processes and impacted tornado-warning lead time. Twelve forecasters from nine National Weather Service forecast offices used this rapid-scan phased-array radar (PAR) data to issue tornado warnings on two low-end tornadic and two nontornadic supercell cases. Verification of the tornadic cases revealed that forecasters’ use of PAR data provided a median tornado-warning lead time (TLT) of 20 min. This 20-min TLT exceeded by 6.5 and 9 min, respectively, participants’ forecast office and regions’ median spring season, low-end TLTs (2008–13). Furthermore, polygon-based probability of detection ranged from 0.75 to 1.0 and probability of false alarm for all four cases ranged from 0.0 to 0.5. Similar performance was observed regardless of prior warning experience. Use of a cognitive task analysis method called the recent case walk-through showed that this performance was due to forecasters’ use of rapid volumetric updates. Warning decisions were based upon the intensity, persistence, and important changes in features aloft that are precursors to tornadogenesis. Precursors that triggered forecasters’ decisions to warn occurred within one or two typical Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) scans, indicating PAR’s temporal sampling better matches the time scale at which these precursors evolve.

scholarly journals A 3.5-Dimensional Variational Method for Doppler Radar Data Assimilation and Its Application to Phased-Array Radar Observations

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Xu ◽  
Li Wei ◽  
Wei Gu ◽  
Jiandong Gong ◽  
Qingyun Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Variational Method ◽  
Radial Velocity ◽  
Phased Array ◽  
Doppler Radar ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Velocity Fields ◽  
Squall Line ◽  
Phased Array Radar ◽  
Radar Data Assimilation

A 3.5-dimensional variational method is developed for Doppler radar data assimilation. In this method, incremental analyses are performed in three steps to update the model state upon the background state provided by the model prediction. First, radar radial-velocity observations from three consecutive volume scans are analyzed on the model grid. The analyzed radial-velocity fields are then used in step 2 to produce incremental analyses for the vector velocity fields at two time levels between the three volume scans. The analyzed vector velocity fields are used in step 3 to produce incremental analyses for the thermodynamic fields at the central time level accompanied by the adjustments in water vapor and hydrometeor mixing ratios based on radar reflectivity observations. The finite element B-spline representations and recursive filter are used to reduce the dimension of the analysis space and enhance the computational efficiency. The method is applied to a squall line case observed by the phased-array radar with rapid volume scans at the National Weather Radar Testbed and is shown to be effective in assimilating the phased-array radar observations and improve the prediction of the subsequent evolution of the squall line.

Design and realization of digital beamforming technique for next generation phased array radar seeker

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinzhu Chen Xinzhu Chen ◽  
Ting Shu Ting Shu ◽  
Kejun Yin Kejun Yin ◽  
Fei Huang Fei Huang ◽  
Wenxian Yu Wenxian Yu
Keyword(s):  
Phased Array ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Digital Beamforming ◽  
Phased Array Radar ◽  
Beamforming Technique

scholarly journals The next generation airborne polarimetric Doppler weather radar

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Vivekanandan ◽  
W.-C. Lee ◽  
E. Loew ◽  
J. L. Salazar ◽  
V. Grubišić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Phased Array ◽  
Doppler Velocity ◽  
Airborne Radar ◽  
Dual Polarization ◽  
Polarization Measurements ◽  
Phased Array Radar ◽  
X Band ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Airborne Phased Array Radar

Abstract. Results from airborne field deployments emphasized the need to obtain concurrently high temporal and spatial resolution measurements of 3-D winds and microphysics. A phased array radar on an airborne platform using dual-polarization antenna has the potential for retrieving high-resolution, collocated 3-D winds and microphysical measurements. Recently, ground-based phased array radar (PAR) has demonstrated the high time-resolution estimation of accurate Doppler velocity and reflectivity of precipitation and clouds when compared to mechanically scanning radar. PAR uses the electronic scanning (e-scan) to rapidly collect radar measurements. Since an airborne radar has a limited amount of time to collect measurements over a specified sample volume, the e-scan will significantly enhance temporal and spatial resolution of airborne radar observations. At present, airborne weather radars use mechanical scans, and they are not designed for collecting dual-polarization measurements to remotely estimate microphysics. This paper presents a possible configuration of a novel airborne phased array radar (APAR) to be installed on an aircraft for retrieving improved dynamical and microphysical scientific products. The proposed APAR would replace the aging, X-band Electra Doppler radar (ELDORA). The ELDORA X-band radar's penetration into precipitation is limited by attenuation. Since attenuation at C-band is lower than at X-band, the design specification of a C-band airborne phased array radar (APAR) and its measurement accuracies are presented. Preliminary design specifications suggest the proposed APAR will meet or exceed ELDORA's current sensitivity, spatial resolution and Doppler measurement accuracies of ELDORA and it will also acquire dual-polarization measurements.

scholarly journals Radar in Atmospheric Sciences and Related Research: Current Systems, Emerging Technology, and Future Needs

2014 ◽  
Vol 95 (12) ◽  
pp. 1850-1861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard B. Bluestein ◽  
Robert M. Rauber ◽  
Donald W. Burgess ◽  
Bruce Albrecht ◽  
Scott M. Ellis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Science Foundation ◽  
Emerging Technology ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Atmospheric Sciences ◽  
Related Research ◽  
Future Needs ◽  
National Science ◽  
Scientific Questions ◽  
Current Systems

To assist the National Science Foundation in meeting the needs of the community of scientists by providing them with the instrumentation and platforms necessary to conduct their research successfully, a meeting was held in late November 2012 with the purpose of defining the problems of the next generation that will require radar technologies and determining the suite of radars best suited to help solve these problems. This paper summarizes the outcome of the meeting: (i) Radars currently in use in the atmospheric sciences and in related research are reviewed. (ii) New and emerging radar technologies are described. (iii) Future needs and opportunities for radar support of high-priority research are discussed. The current radar technologies considered critical to answering the key and emerging scientific questions are examined. The emerging radar technologies that will be most helpful in answering the key scientific questions are identified. Finally, gaps in existing radar observing technologies are listed.

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