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Albany, NY WSR-88D
Dual-Polarization
Upgrade Complete
Updated: April 28th, 2012
As part of a nation-wide implementation, the dual-polarization radar upgrade to the Albany WSR-88D was completed on April 27th.
This much anticipated upgrade incorporates a new technology called dual-polarization, or dual-pol, that is part of the NWS vision to build a Weather-Ready Nation to better protect lives and livelihoods. This new technology results in 14 new radar products that will enable us to continue providing our suite of high quality products and services to the citizens of Southern New England. This new technology and data primarily will help forecasters identify the type of precipitation that is falling as well as improve rainfall estimates.
We strongly encourage all users of these new products to complete a series of online training modules that were recorded by the Warning Decision Training Branch. Modules are available for non-NWS meteorologists and non-meteorologists.
The original doppler radars transmit and receive pulses of radio waves in a horizontal orientation. As a result, the radar only measures the horizontal dimensions of targets (e.g. cloud and precipitation droplets). Dual-polarimetric radar transmits and receives pulses in both a horizontal and vertical orientation. Therefore, the radar measures both the horizontal and vertical dimensions of targets. Since the radar receives energy from horizontal and vertical pulses, we can obtain better estimates of the size, shape, and variety of targets. It is expected that this will result in significant improvements in the estimation of precipitation rates, the ability to discriminate between precipitation types (e.g. hail vs. rain), and the identification of non-meteorological returns.
Traditional NWS Radar |
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Dual-Polarimetric Radar |
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The current WSR-88D transmits radio waves oriented in a horizontal fashion. |
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The dual-pol radar will transmit radio waves oriented both horizontally and vertically. |
Benefits of Dual-Pol Radar
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Improved accuracy of precipitation estimates, leading to better flash flood detection
Ability to discern between heavy rain, hail, snow, and sleet
Improved detection of non-meteorological echoes (e.g. ground clutter, chaff, anomalous propagation, birds, and tornado debris)
Detection of aircraft icing conditions
Identification of the melting layer (e.g. bright band)
Dual-Pol will not improve tornado lead times OR be able to provide exact precipitation type reaching the ground.
Dual-Pol Products & Applications |
The base radar products that have been available to users are base reflectivity, base velocity, and spectrum width. After the Dual-Pol upgrade, three new base products will be available: differential reflectivity (ZDR), correlation coefficient (CC), and specific differential phase (KDP). In addition to these 3 new base products, there will be several derived products. These include a melting layer (ML) product, a hydrometeor classification algorithm (HCA) product, and 8 new precipitation products. Mouse-over the labels below to view examples of four of these new products. Images courtesy of the Warning Decision Training Branch.
Applications
| Training & Additional Information |
| Have questions? Please contact: |
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www.nws.noaa.gov 
