Doppler Radar Sampling Limitations in Convective Storms

Abstract

Vertical air motion data from a T-28 aircraft were filtered and sampled to simulate Doppler radar measurements. The results suggest that multiple Doppler radar analyses are subject to potentially large spatial aliasing errors in deep convection at close radar range. At a more distant range (where the solid angle of scan is smaller), aliasing errors become less important but multiple Doppler analyses are unable to deterministically resolve some energetic scales of motion in ordinary convection. Resolution of air motions on scales of <2 km are important to the understanding of ordinary convection phenomena such as entrainment and the evolution of precipitation. Higher resolution radars, aboard aircraft and on the ground, will be required to meet these objectives.