H. Steinhagen et al., Performance of the first European 482 MHz wind profiler radar with RASS under operational conditions, METEOROL Z, 7(5), 1998, pp. 248-261
The first 482 MHz Wind Profiler Radar (WPR) in Europe completed with a Radi
o-Acoustic Sounding System (RASS) has been operated at the Meteorological O
bservatory Lindenberg since July 3rd, 1996 after a comprehensive study rega
rding the investigation of frequency compatibility between the WPR and the
television channel 22 (478-486 MHz).
The WPR can operate with different height and time resolutions (e.g. 250 m
in the so-called Low Mode or 500 m in the High Mode). A height range of up
to approximately 16 km can be realized in the High Mode. The installed WPR/
RASS combination allows also the measurement of profiles of the virtual tem
perature with the Low Mode resolution in the height range from 500 m up to
approximately 4000 m.
The main objective of this contribution is the investigation of the accurac
y and the availability of this new remote sensing system. First results of
the accuracy can be given on the base of about 1000 intercomparisons betwee
n WPR/RASS and Rawinsonde data. The bias of the horizontal wind velocities
is less than 0.4 m/s in the Low Mode and 0.7 m/s in the High Mode (from 3 t
o 10 km) and therefore smaller than the average accuracy of both systems. T
he bias of the temperature measurements is less than 1 K and can be improve
d by some corrections in future.
A first statistics of the data availability can be shown based on nearly 60
00 profiles of wind and temperature. The 80 % availability of the WPR/RASS
was determined with 12.8 km for wind and 2.3 km for temperature measurement
s.
The new possibilities of investigating the troposphere as well as the lowes
t part of the stratosphere are presented by measurement examples from Febru
ary and March 1997.