Forecasting the Ducting of Electromagnetic Waves on the Mesoscale
Abstract
Ducting of electromagnetic waves in the lower troposphere can have a significant impact on radar coverage. However, despite the importance of identifying ducting conditions, operational forecasts of these conditions are still based on a primitive, single-station approach. Single-Station ducting analyses are available operationally through the Navy's Integrated Refractive Effects Prediction System (IREPS) software. 'Mis software can provide a satisfactory point analysis of ducting conditions, but significant spatial and temporal variations of ducting in the atmosphere can also seriously limit the utility of the output. By combining IREPS with mesoscale model output, however, there is the opportunity for significant improvement in the predictability of ducting conditions. Subsidence inversions are a primary cause of atmospheric ducting. These inversions are common during the summer season over the west coast of the United States, particularly west-central California. Fortunately, they can be effectively modeled because they are generally very strong and quite persistent. In this thesis, a study of the predictability of inversion-generated ducting conditions over west-central California is conducted by combining output from the Penn State/NCAR non-hydrostatic mesoscale modeling system (MM5) with the IREPS ducting analysis software.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA268101
Entities
People
- Scott P. Simcox
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology