Abstract
Abstract. The Wuhan mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere (MST) radar is a 53.8 MHz monostatic Doppler radar, located in Chongyang, Hubei Province, China, and has the capability to observe the dynamics of the mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere region in the subtropical latitudes. The radar system has an antenna array of 576 Yagi antennas, and the maximum peak power is 172 kW. The Wuhan MST radar is efficient and cost-effective and employs more simplified and more flexible architecture. It includes 24 big transmitter–receiver (TR) modules, and the row or column data port of each big TR module connects 24 small TR modules via the corresponding row or column feeding network. Each antenna is driven by a small TR module with peak output power of 300 W. The arrangement of the antenna field, the functions of the timing signals, the structure of the TR modules, and the clutter suppression procedure are described in detail in this paper. We compared the MST radar observation results with other instruments and related models in the whole MST region for validation. Firstly, we made a comparison of the horizontal winds in the troposphere and low stratosphere observed by the Wuhan MST radar with the radiosonde on 22 May 2016, as well as with the ERA-Interim data sets (2016 and 2017) in the long term. Then, we made a comparison of the observed horizontal winds in the mesosphere with the meteor radar and the Horizontal Wind Model 14 (HWM-14) model in the same way. In general, good agreements can be obtained, and this indicates that the Wuhan MST is an effective tool to measure the three-dimensional wind fields of the MST region.
Highlights
Mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere (MST) radars have been used for studying the dynamics of the lower and middle atmosphere up to 100 km altitude for several decades (Hocking, 2011), since Woodman and Guillen observed radar echoes from the stratospheric and mesospheric heights with the Jicamarca radar in the 1970s (Woodman and Guillen, 1974)
According to the antenna array shape, the existing mesosphere–stratosphere– troposphere (MST) radars in the world can be divided into two types: the square array arranging the elements in a square gird and the circular array arranging the elements in a triangular grid
The divider–combiner unit (DCU) in the row and column feeding boxes are all fed by the big TR modules in the observation house, and the row or column drive state is switched by the control signal
Summary
Mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere (MST) radars have been used for studying the dynamics of the lower and middle atmosphere up to 100 km altitude for several decades (Hocking, 2011), since Woodman and Guillen observed radar echoes from the stratospheric and mesospheric heights with the Jicamarca radar in the 1970s (Woodman and Guillen, 1974). In 2008, construction of the Wuhan MST radar and Beijing MST radar began with the support of the Meridian Project of China (Wang, 2010). This paper briefly introduced the antenna array of the Beijing and Wuhan MST radars and their preliminary observations. This article has been written in response to the demands of the readers and users who want to build a low-cost MST radar or apply the data of the MST radars of the Chinese Meridian Project. The location is far away from the bustling city so as to better avoid interference by radio noise Considering this is China’s first attempt to develop its own MST radar, the radar station has not been placed in an area in which construction would be difficult, such as equatorial low latitudes, polar regions, and plateaus. Direct digitization structure Complementary code (16 or 32 bit) 3.7 dB (small TR module) 65 dB −110.3 dBm
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