An Examination of a Simulated Microburst Flow as Sensed by a Single Doppler Radar
Abstract
The range and azimuthal limitations of a single Doppler radar in accurately determining velocity-based microburst parameters were studied. A vortex ring model was developed to simulate the microburst flow. The simulated velocities were vertically averaged over the lowest 500 meters of the flow using a Gaussian-squared weighting distribution. Smoothed values of radial shear parameters were examined for microbursts centered less than 30 km from a single Doppler radar; smoothing effects were minimal for azimuths of less than five degrees. Unsmoothed radial shear parameters were also compared as a function of azimuth, range, and arc length for microbursts centered from 15 km to 150 km from a Doppler radar. Detected radial shear decreases with increasing range and azimuth due to beam spreading. For a one-degree beam, the planned NEXRAD sampling rate, the difference in radial shear for a maximum 0.5-degree offset between 15-km and 150-km microbursts is 18%, creating non-existent fluctuations. For short arc lengths, the differences in radial shear parameters are small; they increase for longer arc lengths but the shear magnitudes are small.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA196381
Entities
People
- Eleanor L. Smith
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology