Enhancing Access to NEXRAD Data--A Critical National Resource (1999) / Chapter Skim
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Enhancing Access to NEXRAD Data—A Critical National Resource
Enhancing Access to NEXRAD Data—A Critical National Resource
Pages 1-11
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federal weather services. Its primary objective is to create nearly continuous radar coverage of the continental United States, making it possible to monitor the occurrence and development of severe weather events, including tornadoes, damaging winds, hail, heavy precipitation, flash floods, and hurricanes.
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Consequently, a limited number of high-density recording devices capable of recording Level FIT radar data were provided that could, in principle, be moved around for special observing periods or for shortresponse events such as landfalling hurricanes. However, the research community identified many other uses of the NEXRAD data that should be pursued, including more extensive study of precipitating weather systems and cloud-precipitation processes that are crucial to advancing understanding of weather and climate.
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1. Although the WSR-~8D system has successfully improved forecasts and short-term warnings of severe weather events, the poor quality and limited accessibility of these data for research severely constrain their utility for studies of the evolution of weather systems over a long time period or a large spatial scale.
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billion. The research community should be in a position to capitalize on this major and valuable national resource, especially in view of the important national goal of improving the quantitative forecasting of precipitation events that lead to flooding, the understanding of seasonal and interannual variations in the North American water supply, and predictions of variation and change in regional climates.
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(4) The ~ mm tapes used to record data are poorly maintained and often unusable (resulting in permanent and unpredictable data losses)
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Data copy charges that make access to large data volumes prohibitively expensive In the panel's jud~nent, ~ mm tape technology is not well suited to the task of Level II data storage. Insufficient attention has been paid to the routine and reliable execution of calibration procedures and recording of calibration information, suggesting an under-appreciation of the importance of quantitative data for both real-time and research applications.
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pricing structure yields a cost of $~.25 million for 1 year of data for the continental United States. Although climatological applications require data from large regions covering many years, the study of mesoscale convective processes in a weather context would also require extensive areal coverage (i.e., tens of radars)
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3. With regard to precipitation estimation for operational flood predictions and the water budget objectives of GEWEX science, the panel urges an accelerated pace in implementing polarimetric radar capabilities on WSR-~8D platforms.
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However, the potential benefits to be derived from a reliable and accessible NEXRAD database argue for a strengthened NCDC infrastructure to make this strategy work. Strong consideration should be given to developing quality assurance programs and using commercial archival formats such as digital versatile disc (DVD)
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The strategies recommended above COUlf] leverage a billion-dolIar investment into a capability that could be used to significantly enhance understanding of the precipitation processes associated with flooding and flash flooding events, climate variations, and global change.
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The shaded areas indicate radar coverage above 10,000 feet. (Source: NEXRAD OSF)
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