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

Monday, 11 August 2003
Negative Scanning From A High Elevation Radar: Operational Examples
Robert Nissen, MSC, Vancouver, BC, Canada; and D. E. Dudley and L. Funk
Poster PDF (310.7 kB)
The installation of a Doppler Radar on top of Silver Star Mountain (1800 m ASL) in southern British Columbia has provided a rich data source for testing of empirical and conceptual models in complex terrain. In particular, this radar employs a negative beam elevation (-0.5 degrees) that allows the detection of in-valley precipitation targets and velocity patterns. This scan is called the Lowest Observable Low-level Angle Azimuth (LOLAA) and has identified interesting precipitation and radial shear features not observed at other scanning angles. This paper will document a few of these features including; in-valley stratiform precipitation, virga, variations in prefrontal precipitation, mesoscale banding, and the terrain dependency of melting-induced circulations.

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