32nd Conference on Broadcast Meteorology/31st Conference on Radar Meteorology/Fifth Conference on Coastal Atmospheric and Oceanic Prediction and Processes

Friday, 8 August 2003: 5:30 PM
Non-weather echo identification for conventional operational radar
John C. Nicol, LTHE = Laboratoire d'étude des Transferts en Hydrologie et Environnement, Grenoble, France; and P. Tabary, J. Sugier, J. Parent-du-Chalet, and G. Delrieu
Poster PDF (192.9 kB)
Recently developed procedures for the identification and elimination of non-weather echoes are applied to two distinctly different conventional weather radar systems. In one case, the procedures are applied to an operational S-band radar system in Cartesian co-ordinates. In the other case, the same methodology is applied to an operational C-band radar system in polar co-ordinates. These procedures utilize a measure of the inter-pulse variability in terms of reflectivity and various criteria of reflectivity gradients. The ability of the methods described are statistically evaluated on a large data set in non-precipitating conditions for the determination of the Non Detection Probability (NDP). Equivalently, the False Detection Probability (FDP) is evaluated on a similarly large data set for precipitation. Examples of the more difficult conditions encountered are presented. These include anomalous propagation, snowfall, sea clutter and strong gradients in the ground clutter field. The primary considerations for operational application are discussed.

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