MRI: Development of C-band Mobile Polarimetric Imaging Radar

该主要研究仪器奖用于开发偏振先进成像雷达（PAIR）。PAIR将是一种车载气象雷达系统，能够极快地更新，并能够观察雨滴和雪花的先进特征。该雷达将采用相控阵系统，该系统传统上由军方使用，但现在正在气象雷达界获得更广泛的使用。该雷达将结合当前移动雷达系统的一些最佳特性，如快速扫描、高分辨率和双偏振测量。雷达的应用将包括研究龙卷风、超级单体雷暴、闪电、飓风、将雷达数据同化到计算机模型中，甚至是雷达航空生态学，即研究鸟类和昆虫在空中的运动。该项目对社会的广泛影响将通过提高对恶劣天气的认识而产生，这将导致更好的预警，提醒公众注意危险情况。学生将获得实践工程经验，以配合气象科学背景。通过与波多黎各大学马亚圭斯分校和OU美国印第安人科学与工程学会（AISES）分会的合作，将确保代表性不足的群体的参与。PAIR将是一个相控阵雷达系统，能够在方位角上进行电子扫描，并在垂直方向上采用泛光灯模式，其中20°风扇波束将被传输。PAIR旨在通过提供最高扇区体积更新率、同时双极化估计和当前移动雷达的最高原生距离分辨率，同时保持1.5°的有效波束宽度，弥合现有系统之间的差距。该雷达将用于上述科学课题，以及天气雷达技术和极化相控阵系统等更基本的课题。

This Major Research Instrumentation award is for the development of the Polarimetric Advanced Imaging Radar (PAIR). PAIR will be a truck-mounted weather radar system capable of extremely fast updates and the ability to observe advanced characteristics of raindrops and snowflakes. The radar will be a phased-array system, which has traditionally been used by the military but is now gaining broader usage by the weather radar community. The radar will combine some of the best attributes of current mobile radar systems, such as very fast scanning, high-resolution, and dual-polarimetry into one system. Radar uses will include studies of tornadoes, supercell thunderstorms, lightning, hurricanes, radar data assimilation into computer models, and even radar aeroecology, which is the study of the movement of birds and insects through the air. The broader impacts of the project on society will come through increased knowledge of severe weather which will result in better warnings to alert the public of hazardous conditions. Students will gain hands-on engineering experience to go along with a background in meteorological science. The participation of underrepresented groups will be assured through partnerships with the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez and the OU American Indians in Science & Engineering Society (AISES) chapter.PAIR will be a phased-array radar system capable of electronic scanning in the azimuth and a floodlight mode in the vertical where a 20° fan beam would be transmitted. PAIR seeks to bridge the gap between existing systems by providing the highest sector volume update rate, simultaneous dual-polarimetric estimates, and the highest native range resolution of current mobile radars, while maintaining an effective beamwidth of 1.5°. The radar will be used for the scientific topics mentioned above as well as more fundamental topics in weather radar technology and polarimetric phased array systems.