X-band Phased-Array Spaced-Antenna Interferometry for Cross-Beam Wind Estimation by Mobile Doppler Radar

多普勒雷达对天气回波信号的标准处理通常会检索“径向”风分量的信息，即朝向或远离雷达天线的那部分风速。虽然这一信息被证明相当有价值，特别是在跟踪恶劣天气方面，但对所有方向的水平风的全面描述(与雷达视角无关)一般仅限于两个多普勒雷达故意协调并采样相同风暴体积的情况。基于“间隔天线”(SA)技术的雷达天线设计的新进展可能使单部多普勒雷达能够测量全二维水平风场。这项工作借鉴了美国国家科学基金会大气协同自适应传感工程研究中心(CASA)以前开展的相控阵雷达技术研究，其智力优势在于将间隔天线技术应用于新制造的线性相控阵雷达发射机面板。这项工作的具体目标是(1)分析和开发配置X波段雷达波长固态相控阵以通过SA技术获得交叉波束风估计的技术，并分析相关的不确定性，(2)实施X波段相控阵间隔天线设计，(3)执行验证研究以通过与同时双多普勒和/或多普勒波束摆动技术相比较来评估SA风测量，以及(4)与俄克拉荷马大学气象学院和其他NSF支持的研究人员合作，从事VORTEX2项目，分析来自现有X-POL和W波段移动雷达对2009年和2010年强雷暴的观测。这一努力的广泛影响包括教育和培训工程研究生，他们将参与SA技术的设计和测试，并将与其他研究领域的知名科学家合作。本科生也将通过CASA的本科生研究经验(REU)计划参与其中，移动雷达技术的演示将被用作K-12推广工具。这项技术的成功应用可能代表着未来雷达网能力的显著增强，从而有助于改进恶劣天气监测和其他气象应用。

Standard processing of weather echo signals by Doppler radars routinely retrieves information on the "radial" wind component, i.e. that portion of the wind velocity directed toward or away from the radar antenna. While this information has proven quite valuable, especially in tracking severe weather, a full description of the horizontal wind in all directions (independent of radar viewing angle) has generally been restricted to situations where two Doppler radars are purposefully coordinated and sampling the same storm volume. New advances in radar antenna design based on "spaced antenna" (SA) techniques may allow measurement of the full two-dimensional horizontal wind field by a single Doppler radar. This work leverages previous research on phased array radar technology developed under the NSF-sponsored Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA).The intellectual merit of this effort rests in application of the spaced-antenna technique to a newly fabricated linear phased-array radar transmitter panel. Specific objectives of this work are to (1) analyze and develop techniques to configure X-band radar wavelength solid-state phased-arrays to obtain cross-beam wind estimates via SA techniques, and analysis of associated uncertainties, (2) implement an X-band phased-array spaced-antenna design, (3) perform validation studies to evaluate SA wind measurements by comparison with simultaneous dual-Doppler and/or Doppler beam-swinging techniques, and (4) collaboration with the University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology and other NSF-supported investigators working on the VORTEX2 project in analysis of observations from existing X-Pol and W-band mobile radar observations of severe thunderstorms from both 2009 and 2010.Broader impacts of this effort include the education and training of engineering graduate students who will be involved in the design and testing of SA technology, and who will collaborate with established scientists in other fields of research. Undergraduate students will also be involved through CASA's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, and demonstrations of mobile radar technology will be used as a K-12 outreach tool. Successful application of this technique could represent a significant enhancement of future radar network capabilities, thus serving to improve severe weather monitoring and other meteorological applications.