Developments in the Radiowave Drifts Technique for Measurement of High-Altitude Winds

Abstract

The drifts technique derives wind vectors from correlation analysis of spatial and temporal sequences of radiowave field strength at ground level. The paper examines the bases of the analysis, and presents a new method (simplified Gaussian correlation analysis) suitable for large-scale processing. Evaluation of the quality of derived winds vectors by means of internal consistency measurements is described. Methods of editing are surveyed, and a new method, based on the normalized time discrepancy, is demonstrated. Methods for securing maximum yield of winds vectors from raw data are described. The use of microprocessors for immediate data processing is outlined. Comparisons of winds obtained by the partial reflection technique with other experimental techniques are examined.