A comparative analysis of two wind velocity retrieval techniques by using a single Doppler radar

摘要

This study compares the theoretical basis of the two wind velocity retrieval methods,Velocity Azimuth Display (VAD) and Velocity Area Display (VARD) by using data obtained by a single Dopplerradar. Two pre-assumed shapes of the wind velocity distribution with altitude are considered, uniform andparabolic. The former presents an approximation of the non-sheared or low-sheared wind flow in the uppertroposphere, while the latter is a simplified representation of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) in lowertroposphere or high-sheared wind flow at the edges of the tropospheric jet streams. Both techniques for thewind velocity retrieval considered in this study are reformulated in order to get more precise information onthe wind velocity components. An algorithm is proposed to decrease the uncertainty in retrieving byevaluating the coefficients of the polynomial equation and applying a transfer function with respect to theangle formed between the wind flow direction and direction of radar beam. It is concluded that, provided theformulated transformation functions are used, the application of the VAD and VARD techniques to thesingle-Doppler data may be an invaluable tool for solving various climate and wind engineering problems.