TY - JOUR
T1 - Validation of dual-Doppler wind profiles with in situ anemometry
AU - Gunter, William
AU - Schroeder, John
AU - Hirth, Brian D.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments. The authors thank Jerry Guynes for the design, construction, and maintenance of the TTUKa mobile Doppler radars and for help with data collection. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Stephen Morse for the construction and maintenance of the 200-m tower database and for the initial processing of the 200-m tower data. This research was supported by NSF Grant CMMI-1000160. The authors would also like to acknowledge the U.S. Department of Energy for providing funding for a portion of this research under the Congressionally Directed Project grant: Great Plains Wind Power Test Facility (Award DE-FG-06-GO86092). The comments from three anonymous reviewers greatly improved this manuscript.
Funding Information:
The authors thank Jerry Guynes for the design, construction, and maintenance of the TTUKa mobile Doppler radars and for help with data collection. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Stephen Morse for the construction and maintenance of the 200-m tower database and for the initial processing of the 200-m tower data. This research was supported by NSF Grant CMMI-1000160. The authors would also like to acknowledge the U.S. Department of Energy for providing funding for a portion of this research under the Congressionally Directed Project grant: Great Plains Wind Power Test Facility (Award DE-FG-06-GO86092). The comments from three anonymous reviewers greatly improved this manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 American Meteorological Society.
PY - 2015/5/1
Y1 - 2015/5/1
N2 - Typical methods used to acquire wind profiles from Doppler radar measurements rely on plan position indicator (PPI) scans being performed at multiple elevation angles to utilize the velocity-azimuth display technique or to construct dual-Doppler synthesis. These techniques, as well as those employed by wind profilers, often produce wind profiles that lack the spatial or temporal resolution to resolve finescale features. If two radars perform range-height indicator (RHI) scans (constant azimuth, multiple elevations) along azimuths separated by approximately 90°, then the intersection of the coordinated RHI planes represents a vertical set of points where dual-Doppler wind syntheses are possible and wind speed and direction profiles can be retrieved. This method also allows for the generation of high-resolution wind time histories that can be compared to anemometer time histories. This study focuses on the use of the coordinated RHI scanning strategy by two high-resolution mobile Doppler radars in close proximity to a 200-m instrumented tower. In one of the first high-resolution, long-duration comparisons of dual-Doppler wind synthesis with in situ anemometry, the mean and turbulence states of the wind measured by each platform were compared in varying atmospheric conditions. Examination of mean wind speed and direction profiles in both clear-air (nonprecipitating) and precipitating environments revealed excellent agreement above approximately 50 m. Below this level, dual-Doppler wind speeds were still good but slightly overestimated as compared to the anemometer-measured wind speeds in heavy precipitation. Bulk turbulence parameters were also slightly underestimated by the dual-Doppler syntheses.
AB - Typical methods used to acquire wind profiles from Doppler radar measurements rely on plan position indicator (PPI) scans being performed at multiple elevation angles to utilize the velocity-azimuth display technique or to construct dual-Doppler synthesis. These techniques, as well as those employed by wind profilers, often produce wind profiles that lack the spatial or temporal resolution to resolve finescale features. If two radars perform range-height indicator (RHI) scans (constant azimuth, multiple elevations) along azimuths separated by approximately 90°, then the intersection of the coordinated RHI planes represents a vertical set of points where dual-Doppler wind syntheses are possible and wind speed and direction profiles can be retrieved. This method also allows for the generation of high-resolution wind time histories that can be compared to anemometer time histories. This study focuses on the use of the coordinated RHI scanning strategy by two high-resolution mobile Doppler radars in close proximity to a 200-m instrumented tower. In one of the first high-resolution, long-duration comparisons of dual-Doppler wind synthesis with in situ anemometry, the mean and turbulence states of the wind measured by each platform were compared in varying atmospheric conditions. Examination of mean wind speed and direction profiles in both clear-air (nonprecipitating) and precipitating environments revealed excellent agreement above approximately 50 m. Below this level, dual-Doppler wind speeds were still good but slightly overestimated as compared to the anemometer-measured wind speeds in heavy precipitation. Bulk turbulence parameters were also slightly underestimated by the dual-Doppler syntheses.
KW - In situ atmospheric observations
KW - Instrumentation/sensors
KW - Radars/Radar observations
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84980322334&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1175/JTECH-D-14-00181.1
DO - 10.1175/JTECH-D-14-00181.1
M3 - Article
VL - 32
SP - 943
EP - 960
JO - Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology
JF - Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology
IS - 5
ER -