The NCAR Modular Wind Profiler Radar

NCAR/EOL is developing a modular radar wind profiler network to support a wide range atmospheric research. Traditional wind profilers are either small systems to just probe the boundary layer, or large expensive radars to probe deep into the free troposphere. The new system, known as the modular wind profiler, is scalable to suit the needs of a particular study and is made up of a set of antenna modules that can be combined together to construct radars of varying sizes. For example, for boundary layer observations over an extended area, it will be possible to deploy number of small wind profilers. Alternatively, to probe higher into the atmosphere modules can be combined to create a more sensitive larger radar. Currently the system is capable of being deployed as two boundary layer, or one mid-troposphere systems, but ultimately we plan a system capable of being deployed as six boundary layer, or two mid-troposphere, or one full-troposphere wind profilers. Spaced Antenna techniques are used to provide rapid wind measurement, and the RIM (Range IMaging) as also been implemented to provide fine vertical range resolution. The radar has been deployed in a boundary layer configuration at Meteor Crater, AZ, for a slope flow study; at the Boulder Atmospheric Observatory in both boundary layer and lower troposphere configurations for testing and a study known as Lower Atmospheric Thermodynamics & Turbulence Experiment (LATTE); and will be deployed to New Zealand in May 2014 in a mid-troposphere configuration for the DEEPWAVE campaign which will focus orographic flow and gravity wave generation from the Southern Alps. The poster will describe the current status and present preliminary observations from the system.