NEXRAD Data Quality Optimization Program

EOL's NEXRAD Data Quality Optimization Program, funded by the National Weather Service's (NWS) Radar Operations Center (ROC), provides scientific and engineering expertise to enhance NEXRAD (NEX- Generation RADar) data quality, focusing on three areas: 1) Range and velocity ambiguity mitigation, 2) Anomalous propagation ground clutter mitigation with minimal impact on weather echoes and 3) Radar calibration, specifically differential reflectivity. 

"NEXRAD is used to warn the people of the United States about dangerous weather and its location. Meteorologists can now warn the public to take shelter with more notice than any previous radar. There are 158 operational NEXRAD radar systems deployed throughout the United States and at selected overseas locations. The maximum range of the NEXRAD radar is 250 nautical miles. The NEXRAD network provides significant improvements in severe weather and flash flood warnings, air traffic safety, flow control for air traffic, resource protection at military bases, and management of water, agriculture, forest, and snow removal."

Both time-series and Archive II data are used extensively by the EOL NEXRAD research group. These data sources include numerous operational NEXRADs around the country, the National Severe Storm Laboratory's (NSSL) research and development NEXRAD radar (KOUN), and NCAR/EOL's S-PolKa Radar.

 

Images