Doppler Radar Profilers as Calibration Tools for Scanning Radars

Abstract

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Aeronomy Laboratory has modified a standard 915-MHz profiler for use as a precipitation profiler in support of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ground validation field campaigns. This profiler was modified to look vertically with a fixed dish antenna. It was operated during the Texas and Florida Underflights Experiment (TEFLUN) A in south Texas in April–May 1998 and during TEFLUN B in central Florida in August–September 1998. Collocated with the profiler was a Distromet, Inc., RD-69 Joss–Waldvogel disdrometer in Texas and Florida and a two-dimensional video disdrometer in Florida. The disdrometers are used to calibrate the profiler at the lowest range gates. At higher altitudes, the calibrated profiler reflectivities are compared with observations made by scanning radars such as the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler in Dickinson, Texas, and Melbourne, Florida, and the S-band Doppler dual-polarization radar in Florida. The authors conclude that it is possible to use profilers as transfer standards to calibrate and to validate the reflectivities measured by the scanning radars.