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instruments:mira:mira

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Cloud Radar MIRA-36

Mentor: E. Orlandi, K. Ebell

Principle

The cloud radar MIRA is a Doppler radar that transmits a linear polarized signal at 35.5 GHz and receives co- and cross-polarized signals simultaneously. In this way, vertical profiles of reflectivity, Doppler velocity, Doppler spectral width and of linear depolarization ratio are detected from 150 m to 15 km above ground. Given these measurements, information on the macrophysical (cloud boundaries, type of cloud particles) and microphysical (e.g., liquid and ice water content) properties of the detected cloud can be derived. The radar can be operated in a vertically pointing mode but also has scanning capabilities in order to better capture the 3-dimensional structure of the cloud.

Instrument

Data

  • If you are interested in receiving data please contact the instrument mentors: E. Orlandi, K. Ebell

Current measurements:

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    <a href="http://gop.meteo.uni-koeln.de/~hatpro/jue/VAPs/radar_mwr/latest_l2_radar_lwp.png" target="_blank">
    <img src="http://gop.meteo.uni-koeln.de/~hatpro/jue/VAPs/radar_mwr/latest_l2_radar_lwp.png" width=300>
    </a> click to enlarge

</html>

The figure shows the LWP from the HATPRO MWR as well as radar reflectivity factor, linear depolarization ratio, Doppler velocity and Doppler spectral width of MIRA zenith measurements.
Gray areas indicate no data.

History

Period Place Project
09/03/2012 - today Research Center Jülich, Germany JOYCE
08/11/2011 - 08/03/2012 Munich Airport, Germany iPort campaign
03/2011 - 07/11/2011 Research Center Jülich, Germany JOYCE

Specifications

Parameter Specification Remark
Frequency 35.5 ± 0.15 GHz corresponds to wavelength of 8.5 mm
Peak power (max) 25 kW
Average power ~ 24 W
Pulse width 200 ns adjustable (100, 200, or 400 ns)
Pulse repetition frequency 5 kHz adjustable (5-10 kHz)
Minimum height 150 m full sensitivity above 400 m
Measuring range 15 km adjustable (7.5-30 km)
Range resolution 30 m adjustable (15, 30, or 60 m)
Antenna beam width 0.6°
Doppler velocity resolution 0.025 m/s depends on FFT length
Maximum unambiguous velocity ±20 m/s
Maximum sensitivity at 5 km (integration 0.1 s) -45 dBZ
Calibration system accuracy ±0.5 dB
Number of gates (with simultaneous stored raw data) 500
Number of averaging spectra 200 adjustable (1-32768)
Manufacturer Metek
instruments/mira/mira.1418721688.txt.gz · Last modified: 2016/04/07 19:53 (external edit)