Considerations for Optimum Siting of NEXRAD to Detect Convective Phenomena Hazardous to Terminal Air Navigation. Part 1.

Abstract

The aviation community has been concerned for some time about the number of aircraft accidents during terminal flight in which weather has been identified as the cause or a contributing factor. The next generation weather radar (NEXRAD), for which final specifications are being worked out on a multi-service basis, offers the possibility of dedicated and detailed surveillance of hazardous weather in the terminal airspace. This report outlines considerations for choosing a site for a NEXRAD installation to fulfill this role in an optimum manner. It is shown that the detection of low level wind shear without precipitation imposes the most severe constraints on NEXRAD siting. Three general siting areas are considered (1) within the airport area, (2) within the terminal area, but outside the airport area, (3) outside the terminal area. When a single NEXRAD radar must cover all hazardous phenomena over the terminal area, siting within the airport area appears to be the best choice. Under certain conditions, a case exists for siting the NEXRAD outside the terminal area.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1982
Accession Number
ADA119855

Entities

People

  • D. S. Zrnic'
  • Pravas R. Mahapatra
  • R. J. Doviak

Organizations

  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Navigation
  • Air Traffic
  • Air Traffic Control Systems
  • Aircrafts
  • Altitude
  • Atmospheric Motion
  • Doppler Effect
  • Doppler Radar
  • Frequency
  • Ground Clutter
  • Low Elevation
  • Meteorological Radar
  • Navigation
  • Processing Equipment
  • Radar
  • Turbulent Mixing
  • Wind Shear

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science/Meteorology
  • Aviation Safety and Air Traffic Management
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Space