Range‐imaging observations of cumulus convection and Kelvin‐Helmholtz instabilities with the MU radar

Abstract

In the present work, we report observations of cumulus convection and Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) instabilities in the troposphere at high vertical and time resolution with the middle and upper atmosphere (MU) radar (46.5 MHz, 34.85°N, 136.10°E, Japan). A detailed morphology of the structures could be obtained through application of range‐imaging technique (called frequency radar interferometric imaging (FII) or range imaging (RIM)) with the Capon processing method. The usefulness of this work lies in the demonstration of the performance of the MU radar in range‐imaging mode for investigating various atmospheric phenomena at small scales. As one case study, we describe the high‐resolution echo pattern during a convective event. It is found that the convective cells formed in the early afternoon and reached a maximum altitude of about 3.5 km. The high‐resolution images revealed thin layers above this altitude, unresolved at the standard 150‐m low‐resolution mode, associated with vertical oscillations possibly due to gravity waves generated by the convective cells through the mechanism of “obstacle effects.” As a second case study, two clear images of KH billows and waves are shown. The KH billows were observed in the troposphere in regions of strong vertical shear of the horizontal wind and persisted for at least 20 min in both cases. The horizontal wavelengths of the KH waves were estimated to be about 2.5 and 5.7 km, according to the magnitude of the horizontal wind in the altitude range where the dynamic shear instabilities were observed.