Observations of cloud properties using the millimeter- wave FM-CW radar of Chiba Univ.

We developed a low-power and high- sensitivity cloud profiling radar transmitting frequency modulated continuous wave (FM-CW) at 95 GHz for ground-based observations. Using the developed millimeter-wave radar, we observed clouds on cruises on "Mirai", a Japanese scientific research vessel, in the Arctic Ocean and the southwest of the Pacific Ocean in 2004, and northern half of the Pacific Ocean in 2005. The radar provided good and sensitive data in these long-term observations. Observations of clouds in such large area are useful for investigating global characteristics of clouds: e.g., latitude dependence of cloud structures, height change of melting layer, distribution of cloud water contents, and so on.