Automatic Identification of Clear-Air Echoes Based on Millimeter-wave Cloud Radar Measurements

Millimeter-wave cloud radar(MMCR)provides the capability of detecting the features of micro particles inside clouds and describing the internal microphysical structure of the clouds.Therefore,MMCR has been widely applied in cloud observations.However,due to the influence of non-meteorological factors such as insects,the cloud observations are often contaminated by non-meteorological echoes in the clear air,known as clear-air echoes.It is of great significance to automatically identify the clear-air echoes in order to extract effective meteorological information from the complex weather background.The characteristics of clear-air echoes are studied here by combining data from four devices:an MMCR,a laser-ceilometer,an L-band radiosonde,and an all-sky camera.In addition,a new algorithm,which includes feature extraction,feature selection,and classification,is proposed to achieve the automatic identification of clear-air echoes.The results show that the recognition algorithm is fairly satisfied in both simple and complex weather conditions.The recognition accuracy can reach up to 95.86%for the simple cases when cloud echoes and clear-air echoes are separate,and 88.38%for the complicated cases when low cloud echoes and clear-air echoes are mixed.

Co-Sharing Waveform Design for Millimeter-Wave Radar Communication Systems

Millimeter-wave(mmWave)radar communication has emerged as an important technique for future wireless systems.However,the interference between the radar signal and communication data is the main issue that should be considered for the joint radar communication system.In this paper,a co-sharing waveform(CSW)is proposed to achieve communication and radar sensing simultaneously.To eliminate the co-interference between the communication and sensing signal,signal splitting and processing methods for communication data demodulation and radar signal processing are given respectively.Simulation results show that the bit error rate(BER)of CSW is close to that of the pure communication waveform.Moreover,the proposed CSW can achieve better performance than the existing waveforms in terms of range and velocity estimation.

Optimization and Performance Enhancement of Gesture Recognition Algorithm Based on FMCW Millimeter-Wave Radar

Gesture recognition plays an increasingly important role as the requirements of intelligent systems for human-computer interaction methods increase.To improve the accuracy of the millimeter-wave radar gesture detection algorithm with limited computational resources,this study improves the detection performance in terms of optimized features and interference filtering.The accuracy of the algorithm is improved by refining the combination of gesture features using a self-constructed dataset,and biometric filtering is introduced to reduce the interference of inanimate object motion.Finally,experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in both mitigating interference from inanimate objects and accurately recognizing gestures.Results show a notable 93.29%average reduction in false detections achieved through the integration of biometric filtering into the algorithm’s interpretation of target movements.Additionally,the algorithm adeptly identifies the six gestures with an average accuracy of 96.84%on embedded systems.

Study on the Clouds Detected by a Millimeter-Wave Cloud Radar over the Hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert in April–June 2018

This study was the first to conduct high-resolution consecutive detection of clouds over the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert(TD)from April to June 2018 based on a ground-based Ka-band millimeter-wave cloud radar(MMCR),with focus on the structure and evolution of the desert clouds.We calculated reflectivity factor(Z),cloud boundary,and liquid water content(LWC)by use of the MMCR power spectrum data,which were verified against the observations from cloud profile radar(CPR)on board Cloud Sat.The results show that the TD clouds were mostly medium and high clouds,with thickness generally less than 2 km;moreover,the mean LWCs of these clouds were less than 0.01 gm^(-3),implying that cirrus and stratiform clouds were predominant.For the observed low clouds,however,the average thickness was 3166 m and accompanying drizzles were concentrated within 2.5-4.5 km,indicating that precipitation was more likely to occur in the low clouds.The mean LWC in the TD clouds was 0.0196 gm^(-3),less than that of clean clouds.Compared to other periods,the average durations and LWCs in the TD clouds increased significantly around noon owing to obvious surface sensible heating.The average time for evolution of high clouds into low clouds was approximately 2 h,and the average maximum LWC increased from 0.008 to 0.139 gm;.The results obtained herein provide a key reference for further studies of the structure and evolution characteristics of the desert clouds.

Unveiling Cloud Vertical Structures over the Interior Tibetan Plateau through Anomaly Detection in Synergetic Lidar and Radar Observations

Cloud vertical structure(CVS)strongly affects atmospheric circulation and radiative transfer.Yet,long-term,groundbased observations are scarce over the Tibetan Plateau(TP)despite its vital role in global climate.This study utilizes ground-based lidar and Ka-band cloud profiling radar(KaCR)measurements at Yangbajain(YBJ),TP,from October 2021 to September 2022 to characterize cloud properties.A satisfactorily performing novel anomaly detection algorithm(LevelShiftAD)is proposed for lidar and KaCR profiles to identify cloud boundaries.Cloud base heights(CBH)retrieved from KaCR and lidar observations show good consistency,with a correlation coefficient of 0.78 and a mean difference of-0.06 km.Cloud top heights(CTH)derived from KaCR match the FengYun-4A and Himawari-8 products well.Thus,KaCR measurements serve as the primary dataset for investigating CVSs over the TP.Different diurnal cycles occur in summer and winter.The diurnal cycle is characterized by a pronounced increase in cloud occurrence frequency in the afternoon with an early-morning decrease in winter,while cloud amounts remain high all day,with scattered nocturnal increases in summer.Summer features more frequent clouds with larger geometrical thicknesses,a higher multi-layer ratio,and greater inter-cloud spacing.Around 26%of the cloud bases occur below 0.5 km.Winter exhibits a bimodal distribution of cloud base heights with peaks at 0-0.5 km and 2-2.5 km.Single-layer and geometrically thin clouds prevail at YBJ.This study enriches long-term measurements of CVSs over the TP,and the robust anomaly detection method helps quantify cloud macro-physical properties via synergistic lidar and radar observations.

Improving Satellite-Retrieved Cloud Base Height with Ground-Based Cloud Radar Measurements

Cloud base height(CBH) is a crucial parameter for cloud radiative effect estimates, climate change simulations, and aviation guidance. However, due to the limited information on cloud vertical structures included in passive satellite radiometer observations, few operational satellite CBH products are currently available. This study presents a new method for retrieving CBH from satellite radiometers. The method first uses the combined measurements of satellite radiometers and ground-based cloud radars to develop a lookup table(LUT) of effective cloud water content(ECWC), representing the vertically varying cloud water content. This LUT allows for the conversion of cloud water path to cloud geometric thickness(CGT), enabling the estimation of CBH as the difference between cloud top height and CGT. Detailed comparative analysis of CBH estimates from the state-of-the-art ECWC LUT are conducted against four ground-based millimeter-wave cloud radar(MMCR) measurements, and results show that the mean bias(correlation coefficient) is0.18±1.79 km(0.73), which is lower(higher) than 0.23±2.11 km(0.67) as derived from the combined measurements of satellite radiometers and satellite radar-lidar(i.e., Cloud Sat and CALIPSO). Furthermore, the percentages of the CBH biases within 250 m increase by 5% to 10%, which varies by location. This indicates that the CBH estimates from our algorithm are more consistent with ground-based MMCR measurements. Therefore, this algorithm shows great potential for further improvement of the CBH retrievals as ground-based MMCR are being increasingly included in global surface meteorological observing networks, and the improved CBH retrievals will contribute to better cloud radiative effect estimates.

Towards Converged Millimeter-Wave/Terahertz Wireless Communication and Radar Sensing

Converged communication and radar sensing systems have attained increasing attention in recent years.The development of converged radar-data systems is reviewed,with a special focus on millimeter/terahertz systems as a promising trend.Firstly,we present historical development and convergence technology concept for communication-radar systems,and highlight some emerging technologies in this area.We then provide an updated and comprehensive survey of several converged systems operating in different microwave and millimeter frequency bands,by providing some selective typical communication and radar sensing systems.In this part,we also summarize and compare the system performance in terms of maximum range/range resolution for radar mode and Bit Error Rate(BER)/wireless distance for communication mode.In the last section,the convergence of millimeter/terahertz communication-radar system is concluded by analyzing the prospect of millimeter-wave/terahertz technologies in providing ultrafast data rates and high resolution for our smart future.

Millimeter-wave LFMCW radar water surface detection experiment and its imaging algorithm

A millimeter-wave linear frequency modulated continuous wave(LFM CW)radar is applied to water surface detection.This paper presents the experiment and imaging algorithm.In imaging processing,water surface texture can hardly be seen in the results obtained by traditional imaging algorithm.To solve this problem,we propose a millimeter-wave LFMCW radar imaging algorithm for water surface texture.Different from the traditional imaging algorithm,the proposed imaging algorithm includes two improvements as follows:Firstly,the interference from static targets is removed through a frequency domainfilter;Secondly,the multiplicative noises are reduced by the maximum likelihood estimation method,which is used to estimatethe azimuth spectrum parameters to calculate the energy of water surface echo.Final results show that the proposed algorithmcan obtain water surface texture,which means that the proposed algorithm is superior to the traditional imaging algorithm.

Comparison of Liquid Water Content Retrievals for Airborne Millimeter-Wave Radar with Different Particle Parameter Schemes

In the application of the physical iterative method to retrieve millimeter-wave radar liquid water content(LWC)and liquid water path(LWP),particle parameter scheme is the main factor affecting retrieval performance.In this paper,synchronous measurements of an airborne millimeter-wave radar and a hot-wire probe in stratus cloud are used to compare the LWC retrievals of the oceanic and continental particle parameter scheme with diameter less than 50μm and the particle parameter scheme with diameter less than 500μm and 1500μm(scheme 1,scheme 2,scheme 3,and scheme4,respectively).The results show that the particle parameter scheme needs to be selected according to the reflectivity factor when using the physical iterative method to retrieve the LWC and LWP.When the reflectivity factor is less than-30 d BZ,the retrieval error of scheme 1 is the minimum.When the reflectivity factor is greater than-30 d BZ,the retrieval error of scheme 4 is the minimum.Based on the reflectance factor value,the LWP retrievals of scheme 4 are closer to the measurements,the average relative bias is 5.2%,and the minimum relative bias is 4.4%.Compared with other schemes,scheme 4 seems to be more useful for the LWC and LWP retrieval of stratus cloud in China.

Non-LOS target localization via millimeter-wave automotive radar

This paper considers the non-line-of-sight(NLOS)vehicle localization problem by using millimeter-wave(MMW)automotive radar.Several preliminary attempts for NLOS vehicle detection are carried out and achieve good results.Firstly,an electromagnetic(EM)wave NLOS multipath propagation model for vehicle scene is established.Subsequently,with the help of available multipath echoes,a complete NLOS vehicle localiza-tion algorithm is proposed.Finally,simulation and experimental results validate the effectiveness of the established EM wave propagation model and the proposed NLOS vehicle localization algorithm.

Study on New Generation Spaceborne Rain and Cloud Measuring Radar System Techniques

Dual-frequency and multi-polarization spaceborne rain and cloud measuring radar is the inevitable trend of remote sensing techniques.Techniques of new generation dual-frequency and multi-polarization spaceborne rain and cloud measuring radar are studied systematically.Radar block diagram and main parameters are presented.Antenna subsystem scheme is analyzed and antenna parameters are proposed.Central electronic device subsystem scheme is given and data rate of spaceborne radar is calculated.This paper is a meaningful try for carrying out spaceborne rain and cloud measuring radar design,acting as a reference to Chinese spaceborne rain and cloud measuring radar design and production in future.

Comparison of Satellite Cloud Image and Radar of Precipitation Process on July 31st,2007

Based on the data of satellite cloud image and Doppler radar,the rainstorm process from July 31st,2007 to August 1st,2007 in Liaoning was analyzed.The precipitation in Fushun and Haicheng was more than 100 mm,and 6 h precipitation in Fushun and Dandong was more than 50 mm.Through the analysis of strong precipitation period,the structure of clouds had a little decline from the stage of development to maturity.The gray value and gradient degree around were both larger in the center of heavy precipitation.

Impact of the Assimilation Frequency of Radar Data with the ARPS 3DVar and Cloud Analysis System on Forecasts of a Squall Line in Southern China

Assimilation configurations have significant impacts on analysis results and subsequent forecasts. A squall line system that occurred on 23 April 2007 over southern China was used to investigate the impacts of the data assimilation frequency of radar data on analyses and forecasts. A three-dimensional variational system was used to assimilate radial velocity data,and a cloud analysis system was used for reflectivity assimilation with a 2-h assimilation window covering the initial stage of the squall line. Two operators of radar reflectivity for cloud analyses corresponding to single-and double-moment schemes were used. In this study, we examined the sensitivity of assimilation frequency using 10-, 20-, 30-, and 60-min assimilation intervals. The results showed that analysis fields were not consistent with model dynamics and microphysics in general;thus, model states, including dynamic and microphysical variables, required approximately 20 min to reach a new balance after data assimilation in all experiments. Moreover, a 20-min data assimilation interval generally produced better forecasts for both single-and double-moment schemes in terms of equitable threat and bias scores. We conclude that a higher data assimilation frequency can produce a more intense cold pool and rear inflow jets but does not necessarily lead to a better forecast.

Comparison of Precipitation Observations from a Prototype Space-based Cloud Radar and Ground-based Radars

A prototype space-based cloud radar has been a precipitation system over Tianjin, China in July developed and was installed on an airplane to observe 2010. Ground-based S-band and Ka-band radars were used to examine the observational capability of the prototype. A cross-comparison algorithm between different wavelengths, spatial resolutions and platform radars is presented. The reflectivity biases, correlation coefficients and standard deviations between the radars are analyzed. The equivalent reflectivity bias between the S- and Ka-band radars were simulated with a given raindrop size distribution. The results indicated that reflectivity bias between the S- and Ka-band radars due to scattering properties was less than 5 dB, and for weak precipitation the bias was negligible. The prototype space-based cloud radar was able to measure a reasonable vertical profile of reflectivity, but the reflectivity below an altitude of 1.5 km above ground level was obscured by ground clutter. The measured refiectivity by the prototype space-based cloud radar was approximately 10.9 dB stronger than that by the S-band Doppler radar （SA radar）, and 13.7 dB stronger than that by the ground-based cloud radar. The reflectivity measured by the SA radar was 0.4 dB stronger than that by the ground-based cloud radar. This study could provide a method for the quantitative examination of the observation ability for space-based radars.

Retrieving Microphysical Properties and Air Motion of Cirrus Clouds Based on the Doppler Moments Method Using Cloud Radar

Radar parameters including radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity, and Doppler spectrum width were obtained from Doppler spectrum moments. The Doppler spectrum moment is the convolution of both the particle spectrum and the mean air vertical motion. Unlike strong precipitation, the motion of particles in cirrus clouds is quite close to the air motion around them. In this study, a method of Doppler moments was developed and used to retrieve cirrus cloud microphysical properties such as the mean air vertical velocity, mass-weighted diameter, effective particle size, and ice content. Ice content values were retrieved using both the Doppler spectrum method and classic Z-IWC （radar reflectivity-ice water content） relationships; however, the former is a more reasonable method.

A 35-GHz Polarimetric Doppler Radar and Its Application for Observing Clouds Associated with Typhoon Nuri

Millimeter-wavelength radar has proved to be an effective instrument for cloud observation and research. In this study, 8-mm-wavelength cloud radar （MMCR） with Doppler and polarization capabilities was used to investigate cloud dynamics in China for the first time. Its design, system specifications, calibration, and application in measuring clouds associated with typhoon are discussed in this article. The cloud radar measurements of radar reflectivity （Z）, Doppler velocity （Vr）, velocity spectrum width （Sw） and the depolar-ization ratio （LDR） at vertical incidence were used to analyze the microphysical and dynamic processes of the cloud system and precipitation associated with Typhoon Nuri, which occurred in southern China in August 2008. The results show the reflectivity observed using MMCR to be consistent with the echo height and the melting-layer location data obtained by the nearby China S-band new-generation weather radar （SA）, but the Ka-band MMCR provided more detailed structural information about clouds and weak precipitation data than did the SA radar. The variation of radar reflectivity and LDR in vertical structure reveals the transformation of particle phase from ice to water. The vertical velocity and velocity spectrum width of MMCR observations indicate an updraft and strong turbulence in the stratiform cloud layer. MMCR provides a valuable new technology for meteorological research in China.

Rainfall Microphysical Properties of Landfalling Typhoon Yagi(201814)Based on the Observations of Micro Rain Radar and Cloud Radar in Shandong,China

The development and evolution of precipitation microphysical parameters and the vertical structure characteristics associated with Typhoon Yagi(201814)are analyzed in the city of Jinan,Shandong Province based primarily on the observations of a micro rain radar(MRR),a cloud radar,and a disdrometer.The precipitation process is further subdivided into four types:convective,stratiform,mixed,and light precipitation according to the ground disdrometer data,which is in agreement with the vertical profile of the radar reflectivity detected by the MRR.Vertical winds may be the main source of MRR retrieval error during convective precipitation.Convective precipitation has the shortest duration but makes the largest contribution to the cumulative precipitation.Collision-coalescence is the main microphysical process of stratiform precipitation and light precipitation below the bright band observed by the MRR.It is worth noting that as Typhoon Yagi(201814)transformed into an extratropical cyclone,its raindrop size distributions no longer had the characteristics of maritime precipitation,but become more typical of the characteristic of continental precipitation,which represents a very different raindrop size distribution from that which is normally observed in a landfalling typhoon.

Cloud Classification and Distribution of Cloud Types in Beijing Using Ka-Band Radar Data

A cloud clustering and classification algorithm is developed for a ground-based Ka-band radar system in the vertically pointing mode. Cloud profiles are grouped based on the combination of a time–height clustering method and the k-means clustering method. The cloud classification algorithm, developed using a fuzzy logic method, uses nine physical parameters to classify clouds into nine types: cirrostratus, cirrocumulus, altocumulus, altostratus, stratus, stratocumulus, nimbostratus,cumulus or cumulonimbus. The performance of the clustering and classification algorithm is presented by comparison with all-sky images taken from January to June 2014. Overall, 92% of the cloud profiles are clustered successfully and the agreement in classification between the radar system and the all-sky imager is 87%. The distribution of cloud types in Beijing from January 2014 to December 2017 is studied based on the clustering and classification algorithm. The statistics show that cirrostratus clouds have the highest occurrence frequency(24%) among the nine cloud types. High-level clouds have the maximum occurrence frequency and low-level clouds the minimum occurrence frequency.

Assessment of FY-4A and Himawari-8 Cloud Top Height Retrieval through Comparison with Ground-Based Millimeter Radar at Sites in Tibet and Beijing

The accuracy of passive satellite cloud top height (CTH) retrieval shows regional dependence. This paper assesses the CTH derived from the FY-4A and Himawari-8 satellites through comparison with those from the ground-based millimeter radar at two sites: Yangbajing, Tibet, China (YBJ), and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), Beijing, China. The comparison shows that Himawari-8 missed more CTHs at night than FY-4A, especially at YBJ. It is found that the CTH difference (CTHD;radar CTH minus satellite CTH) for FY-4A and Himawari-8 is 0.06 ± 1.90 km and −0.02 ± 2.40 km at YBJ respectively, and that is 0.93 ± 2.24 km and 0.99 ± 2.37 km at IAP respectively. The discrepancy between the satellites and radar at IAP is larger than that at YBJ. Both satellites show better performance for mid-level and low-level clouds than for high-level clouds at the two sites. The retrievals from FY-4A agree well with those from Himawari-8, with a mean difference of 0.08 km at YBJ and 0.06 km at IAP. It is found that the CTHD decreases as the cloud depth increases at both sites. However, the CTHD has no obvious dependence on cloud layers and fractions. Investigations show that aerosol concentration has little impact on the CTHD. For high and thin clouds, the CTHD increases gradually with the increase of the surface temperature, which might be a key factor causing the regional discrepancy between IAP and YBJ.

Relationship between Cloud Characteristics and Radar Reflectivity Based on Aircraft and Cloud Radar Co-observations

Cloud properties were investigated based on aircraft and cloud radar co-observation conducted at Yitong, Jilin, Northeast China. The aircraft provided in situ measurements of cloud droplet size distribution, while the millimeter-wavelength cloud radar vertically scanned the same cloud that the aircraft penetrated. The reflectivity factor calculated from aircraft measurements was compared in detail with sinmltaneous radar observations. The results showed that the two reflectivities were comparable in warm clouds, but in ice cloud there were more differences, which were probably associated with the occurrence of liquid water. The acceptable agreement between reflectivities obtained in water cloud confirmed that it is feasible to derive cloud properties by using aircraft data, and hence for cloud radar to remotely sense cloud properties. Based on the dataset collected in warm clouds, the threshold of reflectivity to diagnose drizzle and cloud particles was studied by analyses of the probability distribution function of reflectivity from cloud particles and drizzle drops. The relationship between refiectivity factor （Z） and cloud liquid water content （LWC） was also derived from data on both cloud particles and drizzle. In comparison with cloud droplets, the relationship for drizzle was blurred by many scatter points and thus was less evident. However, these scatters could be partly removed by filtering out the drop size distribution with a large ratio of reflectivity and large extinction coefficient but small effective radius. Empirical relationships of Z-LWC for both cloud particles and drizzle could then be derived.