Validation of Multistatic Wind Retrievals Using a Vertically Pointing Mobile Radar

Accurate three-dimensional wind information is invaluable for the study of many atmospheric processes, particularly vertical velocities in deep convection. Multistatic weather radars have been shown to be able to provide effective 2D and 3D wind retrievals enabled by volumetric scanning by a single scanning monostatic radar. However, the validation of such retrievals, particularly in the vertical dimension, is challenging due to the general lack of vertical velocity data to act as a ground truth. Previous efforts to validate the retrievals produced by the prototype multistatic network at the University of Oklahoma utilized simultaneous multi-Doppler retrievals from an opportunistic combination of multiple nearby monostatic radars, but those retrievals had considerable uncertainty in vertical velocity as well. Given the presence of multiple rapid-scan, mobile radars (RaXPol, Horus, and PX-1000) at the ARRC, it is feasible to acquire high-resolution, vertically pointing Doppler radar data within the existing multistatic retrieval domain over the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The goal of this study is to utilize one or more mobile radars in this fashion on an opportunistic basis, targeting at least one convective event within the multistatic domain during the Spring 2023 season. Additional mobile radars will perform simultaneous RHIs through the retrieval domain, providing verification for the retrieved horizontal winds. It is anticipated that the multistatic wind retrievals will compare favorably with the verification data, more so than any contemporaneous multi-Doppler retrievals done over the same area. Further, the verification of any multistatic retrievals should encourage the adoption and expansion of such networks across Oklahoma and the nation.