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- Recently, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology inaugurated the latest upgraded state-of-the-art Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) & Indigenous GPS based Pilot Sonde at Indian Meteorological Office in Jammu.
Significance of the move
- The X-Band Doppler Weather Radar will help in providing real-time monitoring and reporting of weather events affecting the Jammu region.
- It will be helpful in providing weather forecasts in different sectors including agriculture and tourism forecasts especially for the pilgrims of Mata Vaishno Devi.
What is Doppler Weather Radar (DWR)?
- It is a specialized radar that uses the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance.
- It is designed to improve precision in long-range weather forecasting and surveillance using a parabolic dish antenna and a foam sandwich spherical radome.
- It has the equipment to measure rainfall intensity, wind shear and velocity and locate a storm centre and the direction of a tornado or gust front.
- It provides advanced information, enhancing the lead-time so essential for saving lives and property, in the event of natural disaster associated with severe weather.
- Division of Doppler Radars and their applications: Doppler radar can be divided into several different categories according to the wavelength which are L, S, C, X, K.
Image Courtesy:engineeringsadvice.com
- L Band Radars: Operate on a wavelength of 15-30 cm and a frequency of 1-2 GHz.
- Mostly used for clear air turbulence studies.
- S-band radars: They operate on a wavelength of 8-15 cm and a frequency of 2-4 GHz. Because of the wavelength and frequency, S-band radars are not easily attenuated. This makes them useful for near and far range weather observation.
- The drawback to this band of radar is that it requires a large antenna dish and a large motor to power it.
- C band radars: They operate on a wavelength of 4-8 cm and a frequency of 4-8 GHz. Because of the wavelength and frequency, the dish size does not need to be very large.
- This makes C band radars affordable for TV stations. The signal is more easily attenuated, so this type of radar is best used for short-range weather observation.
- X-band radars: They operate on a wavelength of 2.5-4 cm and a frequency of 8-12 GHz. Because of the smaller wavelength, the X band radar is more sensitive and can detect smaller particles.
- It is used to detect thunderstorms and lightning.
- K band radars: They operate on a wavelength of .75-1.2 cm or 1.7-2.5 cm and a corresponding frequency of 27-40 GHz and 12-18 GHz. This band is split down the middle due to a strong absorption line in water vapour. This band is similar to the X band but is just more sensitive.
About Doppler effect
Radars (Radio Detection and Ranging)
Image Courtesy: Britannica |
Source: PIB
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