Vaisala Weather Radars in aviationJuhani PolvinenApplication Manager Vaisala

Airport’s need for weather information

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Severe Weather – Airport challenge in situational awareness §AWOS system gives you excellent

information about the weather at airport

§But what about the weather around your airport?

§Understanding the weather at approach and take-off areas is important for safety and efficiency

§Doppler Weather radar gives you the weather around your airport

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Integration of AWOS and Radar information- the missing link is finally here - all the Weather Information in one place§Weather Radar products and

Views are integrated with AviMet AWOS

§Radar-produced weather warnings are directly available at AviMet AWOS

§ Information from multiple Radars and AWOSes can be networked!

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Integration of AWOS and Radar information

§WRM 200 Weather Radar

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§ IRIS Interactive Radar Software

§AviMet AWOS

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Weather radar benefits for Severe Weather detection

§Weather radar update frequency is superior compared to satellite information§Large coverage with good spatial accuracy§What is signal for a weather radar is noise for surveillance radar and vice versa

§Dual polarization enables key features!

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Key features enabled by dual polarization

§ Hydrometeor identification

§ Hail and icing warnings

§ Improved data quality identifying:

• sea clutter• bird echoes• interference• anomalous propagation

§ Methods for PhiDP-based attenuation correction to dBZ

Reflectivity:

Radar benefits for an airport

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Severe Weather challenge at airports§Severe Weather Risk Management Survey Report (EuroControl)

§ In-flight icing§Severe air turbulence (convective cloud origin ) §Hail damage§Lightning strike§Low visibility due to fog or precipitation§Strong low level/surface winds and windshear

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In-flight icing

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HydroClassTM particle identification algorithm

§When combined with other weather data, Weather Radar helps to detect freezing conditions

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Melting layer

Convective clouds

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Cloud type cumulonimbus CB or towering cumulus TCU detection§ Radar detects the cloud type within the 16 km

radius – cumulonimbus CB – towering cumulus TCU

§ Algorithm is based on the ICAO doc 9837 § The IRIS system uses three criteria:

– echo intensity at the given height– echo top (the height of the weather echo) – presence of lightning.

§ The cloud type is integrated directly to METAR/SPECI messages

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By Versageek - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7342893

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Tracking and forecasting

§ Interactive tracking and forecasting of radar echo features, like severe convective storms

§You can define the threshold level and size of the storm

§Warnings are issued if a storm is forecasted to pass through a protected area like approach, takeoff or runway area

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Cross section for flight path

§You can do cross sections on curved paths on e.g. approach path

§Storm intensity, hydrometeor type and other parameters can be displayed

Approach path

Hail

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Hail detection

§Vaisala Dual polarization Weather Radar detects hail and other hydrometeor types

§The IRIS Interactive Radar Information System determines hail areas and transfers their location co-ordinates to the AviMet system

§AviMet calculates the location relative to the airport and reports the hail area with direction and range information

§An AviMet hail alert is generated if the hail is detected in a specified area§When hail is detected also lightning is likely

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Hail in vicinity

§Hail detection with hydrometeor classification§AviMet AWOS hail alerts are generated

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Hail

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Example of hail and bird detection

reflectivity (dBZ) + a polarimetric variable (ρ) =

dBZ RHOHV

Hail Warning Bird Detection

Weather Radar Data courtesy of BoM, Australia

Lightning strike

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Integrated Data Displays – Real Time Lightning

§Lightning data from Vaisala’s Global Lightning Dataset GLD360 can be layered with the Weather Radar data

§Combining these tools into one easy-to-use system allows you to

§ maximize the value of weather data § create better situational awareness

§The TS or VCTS code is integrated directly to METAR/SPECI messages

Strong showers andWindshear

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Radar strong shower warnings

§The IRIS System detects showers and transfers the intensity and location co-ordinates to the AviMet AWOS

§The identification parameters are:§Strength§Area§Durationof the storm

§AviMet AWOS calculates the direction relative to the airport and reports the shower with direction and range information.

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Wind shear warnings

§ICAO ANNEX 3 requires wind shear warnings for airports at airports where Low Level Wind Shear is an issue

§The best approach is to combine land-based LLWAS with remote sensing like Weather Radar Wind Shear data

§Vaisala offers fully integrated LLWAS and Weather Radar Wind Shear solution compliant with ICAO Annex 3 and Doc 9837

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Wind shear Warnings

§Integrated warnings are displayed in AviMet AWOS displays

§Vaisala Weather Radar Low Level windshear alerts are integrated directly to METAR/SPECI messages

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You noticed the theme?

§Radar detects phenomenon

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§ IRIS radar software creates products

§ (hail, cloud type…)

§AviMet AWOS creates warnings and user interfaces

Vaisala Advantage

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§ 27 MeteorologicalinstitutespreferVaisalameasurementperformance

§ Duringpast10 yearsVaisalahasdeliveredmorethan130 weatherradarsystems

§ VaisalaSignalprocessingusedinmorethan400radars

Vaisala Weather Radar installations

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Vaisala Radar Customer benefitsProcessing

§ Signal processing used by NEXRAD, FAA TDWR, Spain, New Zealand, Finland and others

§ Comprehensive application packages § Hydroclass™ – first real time operational hydrometeor ID§ Continuous development with worlds' leading radar

scientistsAntenna

§ Optimized for dual-polarization measurements§ Low sidelobes§ Excellent cross-polarization isolation§ Every antenna is measured

§ Integration§ Radar information integrated with Vaisala AviMet AWOS

Vaisala§ Global presence§ Customer service concepts§ Continuous high R&D investment§ Partner arrangements with research organizations

Thank YouWelcome to meet us at stand nr 446