Boundary-Layer Meteorology

, Volume 26, Issue 1, pp 51–67 | Cite as

A review of microwave radar observations in the dry convective planetary boundary layer

  • Robert A. Kropfli
Article
Accepted:

Abstract

For the last two decades, radar has been used to probe the planetary boundary layer (PBL) in a number of different ways. The sensitive, high-power radars at Wallops Island, Virginia, were used to examine the refractive index structure of the PBL over hundreds of square kilometers with a resolution of several hundred meters. In these studies, fields of convective cells were documented over land and over the ocean. Vertically pointing FM-CW radars were used to observe the vertical structure of the PBL with resolution as good as 2 m. In addition, FM-CW radars, as well as conventional radars, have detected birds and insects in the PBL. Within the last seven years, dual Doppler radar was used to document the details of the velocity structure of the PBL in three dimensions. Recently, it has been shown that radar can be a useful tool for turbulence and diffusion measurements in the boundary layer.

Keywords

Microwave Boundary Layer Refractive Index Radar Vertical Structure 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© D. Reidel Publishing Company 1983

Authors and Affiliations

  • Robert A. Kropfli
    • 1
  1. 1.NOAA Environmental Research Labs.BoulderUSA

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