Cloud observations with a polarimetric 33 GHz and 95 GHz radar

The University of Massachusetts' Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory (MIRSL) has developed a unique high spatial resolution multiparameter radar under sponsorship from the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. The Cloud Profiling Radar System (CPRS) uses a single one-meter diameter dielectric lens antenna to make collocated polarimetric and Doppler measurements at both 33 GHz and 95 GHz. The polarization of each transmitted pulse at either frequency can be selected on a pulse-to-pulse basis. The radar and supporting hardware are mounted on a truck that serves as a mobile laboratory. The truck-based platform permits CPRS to operate in remote locations and also serves as an economical means of transporting the system. This paper describes the CPRS hardware and presents preliminary vertically pointing observations of mixed-phase stratus clouds obtained in the summer of 1993 during the first field test of the system. Measurements show Mie scattering in the ice region, melting layer and rain region of the clouds observed. To illustrate CPRS potential for particle sizing, models of differential reflectivity and differential mean Doppler velocity are used to estimate median volume diameter, D-0, from dual-wavelength reflectivity and Doppler measurements of rain.