Kwajalein Polarimetric S-band Weather Radar (KPOL)

Kwajalein Polarimetric S-band Weather Radar (KPOL)

The Kwajalein Polarimetric S-band Weather Radar (KPOL) is a dual-polarized Doppler system used to detect, analyze, and record precipitating weather systems. It measures and displays the height, distance, and intensity of echo returns and can track and extrapolate their motion.  The Doppler capability provides retrieval of wind information from these weather targets, allowing identification of potential high wind threats while they are still out over the ocean beyond surface-based wind measuring systems.  The polarimetric data provide information on the microphysics and particle types in showers and associated clouds that can impact Range sensors and operations.   The radar typically operates in a “volume scan” mode sampling the 3-dimensional domain within 150 km of Kwajalein, while single level surveillance scans are also run to observe the location of precipitation within 300 km.  The 3-dimensional data obtained from volume scans is analyzed in real-time to produce field-of-view products from any location within the data domain.