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New developments in FM-CW radar sounding

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Abstract

Simultaneous lidar and FM-CW (frequency modulated-continuous wave) radar observations are presented and both common and different features observed with the two remote sensors are described. Among the common features are Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) waves and turbulent structures. The potential of the FM-CW radar as a meteorological tool for aiding fog dissipation forecasts is illustrated. The data also indicate that the radar often detects echoes from height regions which coincide with cloud tops. A new FM-CW radar sounder is described which incorporates scanning capability and which is fully mobile. Examples of recent observations are presented illustrating the capabilities of this second generation radar sounder.

Future applications of the FM-CW radar sounder, such as investigations of the exact nature of the mechanism responsible for the radar returns, require accurate calibration of the radar sounder. It is shown that resolution and sensitivity of a linear frequency-modulated FM-CW radar depend on the time delay of the signal. Range dependency on resolution and sensitivity is calculated for various periodic and stochastic perturbations in a linear modulation and good agreement is found between calculated and measured values.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Propagation Technology Division, Naval Electronics Laboratory Center, 92152, San Diego, Calif., USA

    J. H. Richter, D. R. Jensen, R. A. Pappert & V. R. Noonkester

Authors
  1. J. H. Richter
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  2. D. R. Jensen
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  3. R. A. Pappert
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  4. V. R. Noonkester
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Richter, J.H., Jensen, D.R., Pappert, R.A. et al. New developments in FM-CW radar sounding. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 4, 179–199 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02265231

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02265231

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