The use of x-band radar to support the detection of in-flight icing hazards by the NASA Icing Remote Sensing System

摘要

Since the McGill X-band radar was calibrated before the field program but had up to a 15-min time recording error in an unknown direction (personal communication with I. Zawadzki) and a 1-km horizontal separation from the NIRSS radar, a precise comparison between the two radars was not possible. The NIRSS X-band REFL profiles agreed reasonably well with McGill's X-band profiles. No clear calibration bias in the NIRSS radar was detectable with the limited number of cases examined. This leads to the conclusion that the off-the-shelf X-band radar was good enough to detect cloud levels and small-drop icing conditions over time without significant calibration biases effecting the measured REFL field.