RAWS 1992 progress report

Abstract

The purpose of the Radar Wind Sounder (RAWS) instrument is to measure winds aloft in clouds while providing additional capabilities as an ocean surface-wind and rainfall sensor. The concept of RAWS stems from the Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS) planned to monitor winds via Doppler shifts of lidar return from aerosols in a cloud-free environment. If, however, dense clouds are present, LAWS will be unable to measure the winds below the cloud tops. Thus an instrument that can penetrate clouds is necessary and is the basis for RAWS. The primary tasks related to the RAWS study are to determine: (1) scattering and attenuation models; (2) required radar sensitivity; (3) optical frequencies; (4) needed antenna size; (5) suitable scan pattern; (6) removal of the ambiguity imposed by range and Doppler-frequency sizes; (7) spectrum measurements; (8) system configuration; (9) performance as a rain sensor; and (10) performance as an ocean-surface wind sensor.