Stratospheric tropospheric wind profiling radars in the Australian network

Abstract

The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology completed the installation of a network of 9 new wind profiling radars across mainland Australia in 2017, which complement an existing network of 5 profilers and 5 research systems. This results in a network of 14 operational, and 19 total, profilers across Australia and Davis Station in Antarctica. Four of the new profilers are higher power stratospheric tropospheric systems, designed to measure winds from near ground level to the tropopause, and maintain the upper air network in Australia where sonde launches are no longer available. Wind measurements in the near field of the radar are demonstrated to be both possible and accurate by comparison with co-located radiosondes. Quality control procedures producing winds of sufficient accuracy for presentation to forecasters and ingestion into global numerical weather prediction models are described. The Australian network data are available on the global telecommunications system and are currently being ingested into all major models. First results from impact studies on forecast error reduction in the Australian Community Climate and Earth Systems Simulator show remote stations have the greatest impact. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].