Clear-Air Radar Technology: Panel Report

The use of sensitive, coherent radar systems operating in the UHF-VHF frequency range (30–3000 MHz) to measure and monitor the dynamics of the atmosphere has to be one of the most explosive and far-reaching developments to take place throughout all of meteorology. This field has matured rapidly in the decade and a half since Woodman and Guillen (1974) published the initial continuous measurements of the horizontal and vertical wind fields by a high-powered coherent VHF radar. We have progressed from initial studies using radar systems dedicated primarily to other uses, to the design and use of systems specifically intended for continuous measurements of atmospheric parameters. The success of these developments is exemplified by the fact that clear-air systems—indeed networks of such systems—are currently coming on line as operational entities. The future use of these systems in the national picture, as well as on an international scale, is secure.