Doppler radar probing of the clear atmosphere.

Abstract

In the past few years, sensitive Dopplerradars have been used to probe the clear atmosphere from the boundarylayer up to stratospheric altitudes. Routine Dopplerradar observations are now attainable over a wide range of frequencies at virtually all altitudes in this height range. Although a number of these systems operate at UHF (300-3000 MHz), sensitive Dopplerradars have recently been developed that operate at VHF (30-300 MHz). These new systems employ large, inexpensive antennas constructed of phased arrays of dipole elements. This paper surveys recent developments in the use of both VHF and UHF Dopplerradars for probing the clear atmosphere and presents design considerations for new radar systems. (A)