The atmospheric imaging radar: System validation and observations of severe weather

Rapid updates are a highly desired feature in the field of mobile weather radars. Various techniques have been utilized to improve volume update times, including the use of agile and multi-beam radars. Imaging radars, similar in some respects to phased arrays, steer the radar beam in software, thus requiring no physical motion. In contrast to phased arrays, imaging radars gather data for an entire volume simultaneously within the field-of-view (FOV) of the radar, which is defined by the broad transmit beam. As a result, imaging radars provide update rates exceeding those of existing mobile radars, including phased arrays. The Atmospheric Radar Research Center (ARRC) at the University of Oklahoma (OU) is currently engaged in evaluating a mobile X-band imaging radar system by through observations of severe weather events.