Instrument : Scanning ARM Cloud Radar, tuned to W-Band (95GHz) (WSACR)

Beneficiary of Recovery Act funding.

Instrument Categories
Cloud Properties

Note: All the Scanning ARM Cloud Radars have been technically accepted by ARM as meeting specification and each radar’s first data are available at this URL: http://www.archive.arm.gov/sacr/.

ARM's scanning cloud radars are fully coherent dual-frequency, dual-polarization Doppler radars mounted on a common scanning pedestal. Each pedestal includes a Ka-band radar (2kW peak power) and the deployment location determines whether the second radar is a W-band (1.7 kW peak power) or X-band (20 kW peak power). Beamwidths at Ka and W bands are roughly matched at 0.3 degrees.

Due to the narrow antenna beamwidth, ARM’s scanning cloud radars utilize scanning strategies that are unlike typical weather radars. Rather than focusing on plan position indicator, or PPI, scans, the Ka-SACR will utilize range height indicator, or RHI, scans at numerous azimuths to obtain cloud volume data. Measurements collected with the W-SACR are copolar and cross-polar radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity, spectra width and spectra when not scanning, and linear depolarization ration.

This represents a new capability for the ARM Facility.

Output Datastreams

  • wsacrawrhi : W-Band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar (W-SACR) Along-Wind RHI Scan
  • wsacrblrhi : W-Band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar (W-SACR) Boundary Layer RHI Scan
  • wsacrcrrhi : W-Band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar (W-SACR) Corner Reflector RHI scan
  • wsacrcwrhi : W-Band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar (W-SACR) Cross-Wind RHI Scan
  • wsacrhsrhi : W-Band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar (W-SACR) Hemispherical Sky RHI Scans (6 horizon-to-horizon scans at 30-degree azimuth intervals)
  • wsacrppi : W-Band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar (W-SACR) PPI Scan
  • wsacrrhi : W-Band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar (W-SACR) RHI Scans, which can vary in elevation range and azimuth
  • wsacrslr : W-Band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar (W-SACR) Side-Looking Radar
  • wsacrspeccmaskcopol : W-Band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar, filtered spectral data, co-polarized mode
  • wsacrspeccmaskxpol : W-Band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar, filtered spectral data, cross-polarized mode
  • wsacrvpt : W-Band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar (W-SACR) Vertically Pointing Scan

Primary Measurements

The following measurements are those considered scientifically relevant.

Locations

  • North Slope Alaska (NSA)
    • Central Facility, Barrow AK (C1)
  • Southern Great Plains (SGP)
    • Central Facility, Lamont, OK (C1)
  • ARM Mobile Facility (PVC)
    • Highland Center, Cape Cod MA; AMF 1 (M1)

Contact(s)

Nitin Bharadwaj
(509) 372-4267
nitin@pnnl.gov

Kevin Widener
(509) 528-9565
kevin.widener@pnnl.gov