Functional expansion of EAR and new observation techniques

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The main objective of the group is to extend capabilities of the Equatorial Atmosphere Radar by adding supplementary hardware and software based on state-of-the-art technology and knowledge. Major achievements are summarized below:1. We developed digital receiver sub-arrays which constitute a multistatic atmospheric radar together with EAR. The receiver arrays are located at a distance of 1.1km in the west and the south directions from EAR. Two series of multistatic observations were carried out during 2004 and 2005, with a much higher horizontal resolutions compared with conventional atmospheric radars including EAR itself. Anew adaptive antenna technique, which takes into account of the mutual coupling between elements, was developed. Detailed analyses of the fine-scale atmospheric wind field have been made, revealing an unusually strong locality in the wind field.2. Signal intensity of the satellite link between the EAR site and Kyoto University was continuously monitored with a fine time resolution for 4 years 9 months from 2003 aiming to observe the rain attenuation and tropospheric scintillation. By combining these data with those from EAR and other peripheral observational equipments, we studied from various viewpoints the characteristics of the correlation between the rain and atmospheric turbulence at the equatorial region. We found a quite unique relation which is unlike the nature of longer rain path length at lower elevation angles common at the mid-latitude. This result opens the possibility of higher availability at high frequencies such as Ku band even at a low elevation angles at the equatorial region.