RALI-THINICE-2022_RASTA_WIND_L2

RASTA (part of the RALI platform) is a multiantenna W-band Doppler Cloud radar (95 GHz). In this configuration, RASTA was operated with three antennas looking up (zenith, backward and transverse) and three looking down (nadir, backward and transverse). The radar was dedicated to the characterization of cloud and snow microphysics and dynamics. The radar reflectivity is range-corrected and calibrated, and the background noise is removed using a thresholding technique based on the background noise characteristics. Once the Doppler velocity is unfolded and corrected from aircraft’s motion and when backward, transverse and vertical antennas are simultaneously available, the vertical velocity, the along-track and cross-track wind components of the cloud/precipitation winds are retrieved. The combination of the six antennas allows us to retrieve the three components of the wind above and below the aircraft. The product comes with a target classification indicating the presence of different types of targets (hydrometeors, ground etc).