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Technical Details of a Novel Wind Profiler Radar at 205Mhz DECEMBER 2017 M OHANAKUMAR ET AL. 2659 Technical Details of a Novel Wind Profiler Radar at 205MHz a a b a c K. MOHANAKUMAR, AJIL KOTTAYIL, V. K. ANANDAN, TITU SAMSON, LINTO THOMAS, a a a a K. SATHEESAN, REJOY REBELLO, M. G. MANOJ, RAKESH VARADARAJAN, a d d K. R. SANTOSH, P. MOHANAN, AND K. VASUDEVAN a Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin, India b Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Indian Space Research Organisation, Bangalore, India c Data Patterns India Pvt. Ltd., Chennai, India d Department of Electronics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin, India (Manuscript received 18 March 2017, in final form 25 October 2017) ABSTRACT The Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Cochin, India, hosts the world’s first 205-MHz stratosphere–troposphere (ST) wind profiler radar. This radar constitutes 619 three-element Yagi–Uda antennas with a power aperture product of 1.6 3 108 Wm2 and is capable of providing accurate three-dimensional wind profiles for an altitude range of 315 m–20 km. The system description and its first time validation and results from some of the radar’s potential applications are being presented. The radar wind profiles have been validated against collocated GPS–radiosonde measurements during the summer monsoon of 2016. The radar and ra- diosonde profiles show very good correlation with coefficients of 0.99 and 0.93 for zonal and meridional winds, respectively. The standard deviation of the radar measurements with respect to radiosonde measurements is 2 2 found to be 1.85 m s 1 for zonal wind and 1.66 m s 1 for meridional wind. Moreover, the radar also detects echoes from the ionosphere. The ST radar at Cochin (10.048N, 76.338E; 40 m MSL) is an ideal observational facility, located in the tropics, for understanding the processes of the Indian summer monsoon at the region of its onset, which is expected to enhance science’s knowledge of monsoon dynamics. 1. Introduction Bragg scattered signals, which necessitate that the dominant Fourier component of the eddies be half the The ability of radars to profile wind was first demon- wavelength of radar (Briggs and Vincent 1973; Balsley strated in the late 1960s and since then radars have and Gage 1980; Gage and Balsley 1984). been extensively used in regional weather prediction A retrospective of radar profiler history shows that models, studying the evolution of convective events and the first profilers were developed around very high gravity waves, monitoring turbulence, and forecasting frequencies (VHF) of 40–55 MHz (Balsley and Gage rainstorms, among many other applications (Sato et al. 1980). They provided their best results above 4 km 1995; Satheesan and Krishna Murthy 2002; Satheesan and were extensively used in stratospheric–mesospheric and Krishna Murthy 2004, 2005; Hooper et al. 2005; studies (Woodman 1977; Röttger et al. 1979). Radars in Campos et al. 2007b; Kirkwood et al. 2010; Réchou et al. ultra high frequencies (UHF) were thereafter devel- 2013; Simonin et al. 2014). They remain the best means oped to resolve the lower height coverage and vertical to access three-dimensional wind profiles continuously resolution as well as for boundary layer studies. Cur- at high temporal and spatial resolutions. Small-scale rently, wind profiler radars operating the world over turbulent eddies formed as a result of mixing of air of span a frequency range of 30–300 MHz in the VHF band different densities can cause changes in the refractive and 300–1200 MHz in the UHF band. Many of these index of the atmosphere. Wind profiling radars detect the radars are operated as networks by the United States, backscattered signals resulting from refractive index Europe, and Japan. The European wind profiler net- variations, and the corresponding Doppler shift is used work [Coordinated WIND profiler network in Europe to calculate air velocities. Wind profilers detect only the (CWINDE)] provides operational support through its E-PROFILE hub, comprising several radars operating Corresponding author: K. Mohanakumar, [email protected] in frequencies around 50 MHz, 400 MHz, and 1 GHz DOI: 10.1175/JTECH-D-17-0051.1 Ó 2017 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy (www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses). Unauthenticated | Downloaded 09/29/21 11:02 PM UTC 2660 JOURNAL OF ATMOSPHERIC AND OCEANIC TECHNOLOGY VOLUME 34 (Nash and Oakley 2001). The Japan Meteorological lies with the Arabian Sea on its western side and the Agency (JMA) has been operating the Wind Profiler Western Ghats on its eastern side, and this geographical Network and Data Acquisition System (WINDAS) uniqueness causes the first burst of the summer mon- since 2001 and is the first network to be operating soon to occur over this region. Cochin is therefore an 1.3-GHz radars (Tabata et al. 2011). ideal location for undertaking studies on the dynamics of In a tropical country like India, it has been felt that the the Indian summer monsoon. upper-air observations of wind are inadequate for ac- With the main rationale of studying the dynamics of curate weather modeling or for prediction of local the summer monsoon, a stratosphere–troposphere (ST) weather phenomena. Moreover, these observations are wind profiling radar at 205 MHz has been set up at Co- mostly from radiosonde networks whose spatial distri- chin (10.048N, 76.338E). This makes the radar the first of bution is far too coarse. With the aim of having high- its kind to be operating at 205 MHz in India or, for that quality, continuous wind data, it was proposed that a matter, in the world. The 205-MHz frequency has been radar wind profiler network be set up following the ex- particularly chosen over 50 or 400 MHz owing to specific ample of many other countries (Atlas 1990). The World reasons. One major motive is to study the characteristics Meteorological Organization (WMO) has also empha- of the monsoon low-level jet, an important component sized the need to adopt this technology as a step to im- driving the summer monsoon (Joseph and Sijikumar prove monitoring and for better forecasting of Earth’s 2004; Narayanan et al. 2016), the core of which lies at atmospheric processes. about 850 hPa (approximately 1.7 km). Another objective The extent of applications to which radars can cater is to study the stratosphere–troposphere exchange pro- primarily depends on the frequency band on which they cesses occurring during the monsoon season. Monsoon are operated. The mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere low-level jet studies with 50-MHz radars are practically (MST) radar operating at 53 MHz in Gadanki since 1991 difficult on account of their limited lower height coverage, is India’s first wind profiler radar (Rao et al. 1995). and though lower heights can be covered using 400-MHz Though ideal for high-altitude studies, the large antenna frequencies; their upper height coverage is limited to array of MST radars limits probing the lower atmo- approximately 13 km. Therefore, studying stratosphere– sphere below 3 km. One of the major reasons is that the troposphere exchange processes occurring between large aperture array of the radar operating around 17- and 20-km altitudes during the monsoon season can- 50 MHz is unable to form a well-defined beam in the not be studied using 400-MHz radars. first few kilometers above the surface. A smaller radar Galactic or cosmic noise is an essential criterion while at 1280 MHz, called the lower atmospheric wind pro- determining the accuracy of radar measurements oper- filer (LAWP), was subsequently set up at Gadanki ating in the frequency range of 50–1000 MHz (Doviak (Srinivasulu et al. 2012) for probing the troposphere and Zrnic´ 2014). The effect of cosmic noise in very from 100 m to 4–7 km. However, the effectiveness of high-frequencies scales as 22.5th power of frequency LAWP is limited, owing to its sensitivity to rain, clouds, (Campos et al. 2007b). Therefore, the 205-MHz radar is etc. A 404-MHz radar has also been operating at the less affected by cosmic noise when compared to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune, since 50-MHz radar. Over the equatorial region, the galactic 2003 (Pant et al. 2005) and is capable of covering the noise of the 50-MHz radar is found to be around 6000 K troposphere from 300 m to 13 km. The higher height (Kirkwood et al. 2010); however, it has been shown in coverage above the troposphere of the radars operating Turtle and Baldwin (1962) that for frequencies nearer to at UHF range is mainly limited by the constraint im- 200 MHz, the values of cosmic noise lie within a range of posed by the inner scale of turbulence (Balsley and 140–300 K over much of the sky with a peak value of Gage 1982; Hocking 1985). 1000 K in the galactic plane. Furthermore, rainy condi- The most dominant weather phenomenon over the tions are found to saturate the radar measurements at Indian subcontinent influencing almost every sphere of UHF ranges; however, 205-MHz radars are less affected life, including the livelihood and economy of its people, by such issues. Over the region of Cochin, the 205-MHz is indisputably the Indian summer monsoon. It is prob- radar is better suited with distinct advantages over the ably the most studied weather phenomenon in the In- 50- or 400-MHz radars. The 205-MHz radar is thus the dian context. Nevertheless, the research so far has best compromise between the 50- and 400-MHz radars, unraveled far less than that needed for an in-depth un- because it is able to scan both the lower and higher derstanding of this complex process.
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