Doppler Radar

Physics homework for 4/9/15:

Doppler Weather Forecast

         Physics and science is super important - as we all know! - and today we learned a bit about the Doppler effect and what not! But how does the Doppler effect relate to the weather and what do Doppler radars do? Well, simply put, Doppler radars ("radar" being short for RAdio Detection And Ranging)  tell us about the precipitation in the area and helps us prepare for the upcoming weather! Now, how does this work? Doppler radars work by using their transmitters and receivers. The transmitter emits pulses of waves (specifically microwaves or radio waves) out in a circular pattern like with other waves. The precipitation then scatters these waves and that in turn sends energy back to the transmitter where it is then detected by the radar's receiver. The strength of the signal that ends up being received (AKA a "radar echo") determines the intensity of the precipitation. Measuring the time it takes for the wave to leave and return tells the meteorologists how far away the storm is, and the direction the radar points locates the storm. In brief, waves are used to locate and detect intensity and what not by sending them off and receiving them back. The energy could affect the frequency/wave length of the wave which helps the radar see what the storm will be like. Additionally, the storm is like the observer who interacts with a source's waves because as the waves approach the storm and as the storm moves where ever (which is an example of the Doppler effect!) the waves start to probably compress and/or get affected by everything else in the way. Case in point, though, this is how the radars work! :D

Bye bye!~ :3