Abstract
This study concerns a Ka-band solid-state transmitter cloud radar, made in China, which can operate in three different work modes, with different pulse widths, and coherent and incoherent integration numbers, to meet the requirements for cloud remote sensing over the Tibetan Plateau. Specifically, the design of the three operational modes of the radar (i.e., boundary mode M1, cirrus mode M2, and precipitation mode M3) is introduced. Also, a cloud radar data merging algorithm for the three modes is proposed. Using one month’s continuous measurements during summertime at Naqu on the Tibetan Plateau, we analyzed the consistency between the cloud radar measurements of the three modes. The number of occurrences of radar detections of hydrometeors and the percentage contributions of the different modes’ data to the merged data were estimated. The performance of the merging algorithm was evaluated. The results indicated that the minimum detectable reflectivity for each mode was consistent with theoretical results. Merged data provided measurements with a minimum reflectivity of −35 dBZ at the height of 5 km, and obtained information above the height of 0.2 km. Measurements of radial velocity by the three operational modes agreed very well, and systematic errors in measurements of reflectivity were less than 2 dB. However, large discrepancies existed in the measurements of the linear depolarization ratio taken from the different operational modes. The percentage of radar detections of hydrometeors in mid- and high-level clouds increased by 60% through application of pulse compression techniques. In conclusion, the merged data are appropriate for cloud and precipitation studies over the Tibetan Plateau.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Clothiaux, E. E., and Coauthors, 1999: The atmospheric radiation measurement program cloud radars: operational modes. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 16, 819–827.
Clothiaux, E. E., T. P. Ackerman, G. G. Mace, K. P. Moran, R. T. Marchand, M. A. Miller, and B. E. Martner, 2000: Objective determination of cloud heights and radar reflectivities using a combination of active remote sensors at the ARM CART sites. J. Appl. Meteor., 39, 645–665.
Kollias, P., M. A. Miller, E. P. Luke, K. L. Johnson, E. E. Clothiaus, K. P. Moran, K. B. Widener, and B. A. Albrecht, 2007: The atmospheric radiation measurement program cloud profiling radars: second-generation sampling strategies, processing, and cloud data products. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 24, 1119–1214.
Liu, L. P., L. Xie, and Z. H. Cui, 2014: Examination and application of Doppler spectral density data in drop size distribution retrieval in weak precipitation by cloud radar. Chinese Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, 38(2), 223–236. (in Chinese with English abstract)
Liu, L. P., J. F. Zheng, Z. Ruan, Z. H. Cui, Z. Q. Hu, S. H. Wu, G. Y. Dai, and Y. H. Wu, 2015: Comprehensive radar observations of clouds and precipitation over the Tibetan plateau and preliminary analysis of cloud properties. Journal of Meteorological Research, 29, 546–561.
Moran, K. P., B. E. Martner, M. J. Post, R. A. Kropfli, D. C. Welsh, and K. B. Widener, 1998: An unattended cloud-profiling radar for use in climate research. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 79, 443–455.
Zhong, L. Z., L. P. Liu, S. Feng, R. S. Ge, and Z. Zhang, 2011: A 35-GHz polarimetrie Doppler radar and its application for observing clouds associated with typhoon Nuri. Adv. Atmos. Sci., 28(4), 945–956, doi: 10.1007/s00376-010-0073-5.
Acknowledgements
We appreciate the contributions made by the Tibet Meteorology Administration, Naqu Meteorology Administration, and the 23rd Research Institute of China Aerospace & Industry Corp. This study was funded by the National Sciences Foundation of China (Grant No. 91337103) and the China Meteorological Administration Special Public Welfare Research Fund (Grant No. GYHY201406001).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Liu, L., Zheng, J. & Wu, J. A Ka-band solid-state transmitter cloud radar and data merging algorithm for its measurements. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 34, 545–558 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-016-6044-8
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-016-6044-8