Phased Array Design for Biological Clutter Rejection: Simulation and Experimental Validation

Abstract This paper highlights recent results obtained with the Turbulent Eddy Profiler (TEP), which was developed by the University of Massachusetts. This unique 915-MHz radar has up to 64 spatially separated receiving elements, each with an independent receiver. The calibrated raw data provided by this array could be processed using sophisticated imaging algorithms to resolve the horizontal structures within each range gate. After collecting all of the closely spaced horizontal slices, the TEP radar can produce three-dimensional images of echo power, radial velocity, and spectral width. From the radial velocity measurements, it is possible to estimate the three-dimensional wind with high horizontal and vertical resolution. Given the flexibility of the TEP system, various array configurations are possible. In the present work exploitation of the flexibility of TEP is attempted to enhance the rejection of clutter from unwanted biological targets. From statistical studies, most biological clutter results f...

[1]  Michael W. Hoffman,et al.  Efficient Atmospheric Simulation for High-Resolution Radar Imaging Applications , 2004 .

[2]  D. Hysell.  Radar imaging of equatorial F region irregularities with maximum entropy interferometry , 1996 .

[3]  Michael W. Hoffman,et al.  Pulse pair beamforming and the effects of reflectivity field variations on imaging radars , 2004 .

[4]  K. Lilly.  The representation of small-scale turbulence in numerical simulation experiments , 1966 .

[5]  S. Frasier,et al.  Radio Acoustic Sounding with a UHF Volume Imaging Radar , 2004 .

[6]  Warner L. Ecklund,et al.  A UHF Wind Profiler for the Boundary Layer: Brief Description and Initial Results , 1988 .

[7]  David L. Hysell,et al.  Imaging radar observations and theory of type I and type II quasi‐periodic echoes , 2002 .

[8]  David L. Hysell,et al.  Imaging coherent backscatter radar observations of topside equatorial spread F , 1997 .

[9]  R. Palmer,et al.  A simulation study of coherent radar imaging , 2000 .

[10]  J. Capon.  High-resolution frequency-wavenumber spectrum analysis , 1969 .

[11]  P. Chilson,et al.  An investigation of scattering mechanisms and dynamics in PMSE using coherent radar imaging , 2001 .

[12]  S. Fukao,et al.  Fine structure in mesospheric wind fluctuations observed by the Arecibo UHF Doppler radar , 1985 .

[13]  Jürgen Röttger,et al.  VHF radar studies of tropospheric velocities and irregularities using spaced antenna techniques , 1978 .

[14]  J. B. Mead,et al.  A Volume-Imaging Radar Wind Profiler for Atmospheric Boundary Layer Turbulence Studies , 1998 .

[15]  John C. Wyngaard,et al.  LES in the Surface Layer: Surface Fluxes, Scaling, and SGS Modeling , 1998 .

[16]  Takuji Nakamura,et al.  High-resolution wind profiling using combined spatial and frequency domain interferometry , 1995 .

[17]  P. Balamuralidhar,et al.  Indian MST radar 1. System description and sample vector wind measurements in ST mode , 1995 .

[18]  S. Fukao,et al.  Coherent radar imaging using Capon's method , 1998 .

[19]  Ronald F. Woodman,et al.  A poststatistics steering technique for MST radar applications , 1990 .

[20]  D. A. Merritt,et al.  Contamination of Wind Profiler Data by Migrating Birds: Characteristics of Corrupted Data and Potential Solutions , 1995 .

[21]  Robert E. McIntosh,et al.  Local Structure of the Convective Boundary Layer from a Volume-Imaging Radar. , 2000 .

[22]  Ronald F. Woodman,et al.  Inclination of the geomagnetic field measured by an incoherent scatter technique , 1971 .

[23]  W Pfister,et al.  The wave-like nature of inhomogeneities in the E-region , 1971 .

[24]  David A. Holdsworth,et al.  A simple model of atmospheric radar backscatter: Description and application to the full correlation analysis of spaced antenna data , 1995 .

[25]  I. Hirota,et al.  Direct measurement of air and precipitation particle motion by very high frequency Doppler radar , 1985, Nature.