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Observations of lee waves by high‐power radar
Author(s) -
Starr J. R.,
Browning K. A.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49709841507
Subject(s) - radar , airflow , wavelength , swell , geology , meteorology , remote sensing , optics , physics , computer science , telecommunications , oceanography , thermodynamics
A very high‐sensitivity 107 mm radar has been brought into operation for meteorological studies of airflow within the optically clear (or cloudy) atmosphere. One application of this radar has been to observe the detailed three‐dimensional structure of lee waves, using backscatter from both refractive index inhomogeneities and cirrus ‘clouds’ as means of tracing the pattern of airflow. This paper presents case studies showing how the radar has revealed the structure of lee waves downwind from the Welsh mountains. One of the case studies illustrates a steady‐state wave pattern, another illustrates an unsteady pattern with waves varying in orientation and wavelength, another illustrates a strongly damped wave pattern, and a final one illustrates two families of waves co‐existing at different altitudes. The radar method is shown to provide a direct and elegant technique for measuring lee wave properties. Although it depends on the presence of naturally occurring targets to trace the airflow pattern, such targets are found to be abundant in situations of strong lee wave activity.