SYSTEMATIC-ERRORS IN SPACED ANTENNA WIND ESTIMATORS UNDER INHOMOGENEOUS FLOW CONDITIONS

The influences of horizontal wind gradients on ''apparent'' and ''true '' spaced antenna wind estimators are examined within the scope of a l inear wind model. It is found that apparent velocity estimators are hi ghly sensitive to horizontal gradients in horizontal wind components. Systematic errors in true velocity estimates increase with the probing radar beam width. For a beam width of similar to 6 degrees and realis tic values of horizontal wind gradients, systematic errors in true vel ocity estimates remain less than similar to 4 m/s at mesospheric altit udes in the absence of gradients in the vertical wind component.