Radar Meteorology Glossary
This glossary will be the main reference for radar products and problems and will give details on what the different products are and how they are used.
Browse the glossary using this index
Special | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | ALL
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Availability of polar dataThe problem connected with polar data is access to it. In many radar networks polar data is the lowest level potentially available. Many algorithms perform best in polar space and hence data is preferred to be available in polar coordinates. However, due to the radical changes in a data set's characteristics when transforming the set from cartesian grids, this conversion causes problems in radar data. Further improvements in data quality are expected with the international exchange of polar volume data. | ||
Away VelocityRadial component of motion away from the antenna. By convention, away velocities are expressed as positive values, usually in meters per second. | |
AzimuthA direction in terms of the 360° compass; north at 0°, east at 90°, south at 180°, and west at 270° | |
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BackscatterThe portion of power scattered back in an incident direction. | |
Beam propagation changesProblemsVertical profiles of temperature, pressure and humidity affect radar beam propagation, especially when there is low elevation angle at the radar site. Actually, normal propagation conditions are dominant but there are also significant seasonal variations in the median and monthly dispersion of the vertical refrectivity gradient. | ||
BirdsProblems in Radar ProductsBird flocks look like precipitation on the radar picture, especially during migration. There are some algorithms that use pattern recognition or study the doppler spectra.Example Image | |
Bounded Weak Echo RegionA core of weak equivalent reflectivity in a thunderstorm which identifies the location of a strong updraft. The updraft is so strong that large precipitation particles do not have time to form in the lower and mid levels of the storm and are prevented from falling back into the updraft core from above. See also Weak Echo Region. | |
Bow Echo | |
Bragg scatteringBragg scattering is the phenomenon of sharp inhomogenities in the refrective index of the atmosphere. This is most important for the radars of longer wavelength, especially those which are vertically pointed. The turbulence is responsible for producing the large-scale refractive index gradients which result in return of incident radar power. Example Image | ||