Atmospheric Radar Research Seminar Series presents...
Applications of Radar Refractivity Retrievals
David Bodine
The University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology
12 February 2009, 1:00 PM
National Weather Center, Room 5600
120 David L. Boren Blvd.
University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK
Directions to the NWC (.pdf, 60 kb)
Radar refractivity retrievals provide high resolution, near surface moisture measurements using Doppler radar. The moisture field often exhibits small-scale variability, which cannot be adequately measured by the current observation network. In particular, small-scale variability of moisture can be important for convection initiation. Refractivity data showed that convection initiation was sensitive to small-scale variations in moisture, and refractivity data can detect boundaries earlier than reflectivity. Refractivity can also provide high-resolution moisture measurements in the supercell environment, which may have implications on tornadogenesis. An analysis of the boundary layer moisture field showed that moisture variability and variability of short-term moisture changes increased throughout the day, reaching a maximum in the late afternoon. The analysis also showed that wave structures in refractivity can be tracked, and move at approximately the mean boundary layer wind speed and direction.