A Method for Radar Turbulence Detection

A method is described whereby a conventional non-Doppler radar may be used in the measurement and detection of atmospheric turbulence. The technique involves the measurement of the average echo power and the variance of the fluctuation spectrum in each of two separated pulse volumes, and corresponding measure ments of echo power and variance of the detected signals in a channel representing the predetection sum of the signals from those two volumes. It is shown that the variance of the sum channel is the power-weighted sum of the variances in the independent channels plus a term dependent upon the difference in mean radial velocity of the associated pulse volumes. Accordingly, the difference in mean radial velocity can be measured. When the spacing of the sampled volumes is adjusted to represent distance along an aircraft flight plan, the measurement is a measure of the turbulence to be experienced in traversing the space between those volumes. Specific systems for accomplishing the measure ment are discussed.