MULTIPLE RECEIVER WIND PROFILING TECHNIQUES FOR THE BOUNDARY-LAYER INTHE PRESENCE OF HYDRO-METEORS

A UHF boundary layer wind profiler has been operated in a multiple rec eiver mode. The data sets collected are used to estimate the horizonta l wind using different multiple receiver analysis techniques performed in the time and frequency domains. Those results are also compared wi th simultaneous Doppler beam swinging measurements. The particularity of the data sets used for this intercomparison is that they were recor ded while hydrometeors were present in the boundary layer. The large m ean fall speed and the broad fall velocity distribution of rain drops causes a much more rapid decay of diffraction patterns than in the cas e of scattering by snow flakes or micro turbulence. Therefore, analysi s methods which do not account for the effect of the decay of the diff raction patterns show an over-estimation of the wind velocity, and do so in a different way whether snow or rain is present. To the contrary , algorithms that aci count for the effect of diffraction pattern deca y appear to reasonably estimate the actual horizontal wind and compare well with the Doppler measurements.