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Low-Cost Ka-Band Cloud Radar System for Distributed Measurements within the Atmospheric Boundary Layer
| Content Provider | MDPI |
|---|---|
| Author | Rafael, Rodríguez Marcos, Díaz Aguirre, Roberto Toledo, Felipe Rondanelli, Roberto Reyes, Nicolas |
| Copyright Year | 2020 |
| Description | Radars are used to retrieve physical parameters related to clouds and fog. With these measurements, models can be developed for several application fields such as climate, agriculture, aviation, energy, and astronomy. In Chile, coastal fog and low marine stratus intersect the coastal topography, forming a thick fog essential to sustain coastal ecosystems. This phenomenon motivates the development of cloud radars to boost scientific research. In this article, we present the design of a Ka-band cloud radar and the experiments that prove its operation. The radar uses a frequency-modulated continuous-wave with a carrier frequency of 38 GHz. By using a drone and a commercial Lidar, we were able to verify that the radar can measure reflectivities in the order of −60 dBZ at 500 m of distance, with a range resolution of 20 m. The lower needed range coverage imposed by our case of study enabled a significant reduction of the instrument cost compared to existent alternatives. The portability and low-cost of the designed instrument enable its implementation in a distributed manner along the coastal mountain range, as well as its use in medium-size aerial vehicles or balloons to study higher layers. The main features, limitations, and possible improvements to the current instrument are discussed. |
| Starting Page | 3965 |
| e-ISSN | 20724292 |
| DOI | 10.3390/rs12233965 |
| Journal | Remote Sensing |
| Issue Number | 23 |
| Volume Number | 12 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | MDPI |
| Publisher Date | 2020-12-03 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Remote Sensing Marine Engineering Cloud Radar Boundary Layer Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave Radar Ka-band Radar |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |