Abstract
During the dry period of August–October 2015, a C-band Doppler weather radar of the BMKG station in a fire-prone peatland area, Palangka Raya, detected echoes with reflectivity values between − 19 and + 34 dBZ at a height below 2–3 km and a slant range of 100 km. The MERRA-2/NASA atmospheric reanalysis database is used to obtain the vertical profiles of refractive index and equivalent potential temperature of the air. The temporal variation of the radar image is due to the tropical diurnal cycle of planetary boundary layer formation, which is consistent with the results of the database analysis. The echo images are discussed in terms of Bragg scattering of microwaves at the top of the planetary boundary layer. Weather radar monitoring of the fire smoke layer-top images has a potential feasibility to support real-time management of peatland fires.
Highlights
With a combination of measurement and analysis of data for airport visibility, atmospheric optical density, atmospheric reanalysis database, satellite image and forward trajectory calculation, the observed radar echo images are interpreted as a lower atmospheric structure, the tropical planetary boundary layer characteristic of the fire-prone tropics
We show the plan position indicator echo of the weather radar can be operationally useful for real-time management of large-scale forest and peatland fires
Summary
Methods and data sourcesWeather radar specification. (https://www.bmkg.go.id/cuaca/citra-radar.bmkg) The C-band Doppler radar was installed in a tall tower of 15 m high. The radar specification is as follows: manufacturer SELEX, model Meteor 600C, frequency 5.640 GHz, single horizontal polarisation, beam width 1°, pulse repetition frequency (PRF) 250–1200 Hz and a magnetron type transmitter. The scanning strategy was VCP21 with low elevation angles: 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.4, 3.4, 4.3, 6.2, 10°, 14°, and 19.5° This scanning strategy used dual PRF (450 and 600 Hz) with a pulse width of 0.8 μs for sensitive scan strategy. The PPI products with a single elevation at 0.5° that detected radar echoes close to the surface were analyzed to retrieve reflectivity data. Note that this usage of a weather radar for non-rainy air echoes is not standard. Rainbow 5 weather application, was used to monitor images. (https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/products/rainbow-5-application-software)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
