How is precipitation measured using Doppler radar?
What will be an ideal response?
ANSWER: Every radar unit consists of a transmitter that sends out short, powerful microwave pulses. When this energy encounters a target a fraction of the energy is scattered back toward the transmitter and is detected by a receiver. The returning signal is amplified and displayed on a screen, producing an image, or echo, from the target. The elapsed time between transmission and reception indicates the target's distance.
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The Doppler radar is like a conventional radar in that it can detect areas of precipitation and measure rainfall intensity. Using special computer programs called algorithms, the rainfall intensity, over a given area for a given time, can be computed and displayed as an estimate of total rainfall over that particular area. Furthermore, the Doppler radar uses the principle called Doppler shift, which is why it has the capacity to measure the speed at which falling rain is moving horizontally toward or away from the radar antenna. Falling rain moves with the wind. Consequently, Doppler radar allows scientists to peer into a tornado-generating thunderstorm and observe its wind.
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