OROGRAPHIC EFFECTS ON PRECIPITATION PROCESSES.
Abstract:
New techniques for sampling, recording and analyzing the signal backscattered from precipitation and non-precipitation targets are briefly described. These techniques employ rather recently developed instrumentation, some of which apparently have not been used heretofore for pulse-to-pulse studies, thus overcoming many of the limitations imposed on similar previous studies by the state of the art in sampling, recording and analysis. Examples are given of some measurements of the amplitude of consecutive backscattered radar pulses obtained by sampling the video with a range delayed, gated amplifier a standard oscilloscope accessory and recording the sampled video on an analog magnetic tape recorder. Digitizing of the analog tape prepares the data for subsequent analysis by a digital computer. A review of the literature on the subject of the fluctuating echo from precipitation reveals that the previous investigations emphasized primarily the relationship between the fluctuation statistics and the motions of the particles. The present study suggests that other factors intimately related to the precipitation process may contribute significantly to the observed fluctuations, namely the collision and breakup of the particles. Author