The Impact of Lightning Rods on the Differential Reflectivity of X-Band Radar
Lightning rod configuration is crucial in radar stations. With widespread application of dual-polarisation technology, lightning rods have a significant impact on radar differential reflectivity, particularly for X-band radars with shorter wavelengths. Quantitative analyses and methods for reducing...
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/2/204 |
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| author | Hui Wang Haifeng Yu Hao Wen Zhifeng Shu |
| author_facet | Hui Wang Haifeng Yu Hao Wen Zhifeng Shu |
| author_sort | Hui Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lightning rod configuration is crucial in radar stations. With widespread application of dual-polarisation technology, lightning rods have a significant impact on radar differential reflectivity, particularly for X-band radars with shorter wavelengths. Quantitative analyses and methods for reducing the impact of lightning rods on radar data quality have become particularly important. In this study, lightning rods of two different sizes were configured on Beijing’s Fangshan X-band radar to perform antenna far-field tests and precipitation process comparative observation tests, and to conduct a quantitative impact assessment of the antenna electrical performance parameters and radar differential reflectivity. First, far-field tests were conducted on the impact of small- and original-diameter lightning rods on the Fangshan X-band radar. The results showed that the horizontal polarisation beam width was reduced by 0.081 and 0.08°, while the vertical polarisation beam width was reduced by 0.02 and 0.11°, respectively. Second, light rain or snowfall with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 15 dB, and a correlation coefficient greater than 0.985, were selected for comparative observation. When other environmental influences could not be isolated, the original lightning rod showed a maximum ZDR value of 1.32 dB and a maximum azimuth span of 35°. The maximum ZDR value of the small-diameter lightning rod was 0.18 dB and the maximum azimuth span was 20°; however, its deviation from the theoretical maximum value is only 0.05 dB. Therefore, once the system configuration is determined, the design of an appropriate lightning rod scheme can effectively improve radar data quality. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-40aa764cdadd4cb3a1cde53904558f78 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj-art-40aa764cdadd4cb3a1cde53904558f782025-08-20T02:44:52ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332025-02-0116220410.3390/atmos16020204The Impact of Lightning Rods on the Differential Reflectivity of X-Band RadarHui Wang0Haifeng Yu1Hao Wen2Zhifeng Shu3Institute of Urban Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100089, ChinaHuayun Metstar Radar (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Beijing 100094, ChinaRadar Meteorological Centre, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081, ChinaSchool of Atmospheric Physics, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaLightning rod configuration is crucial in radar stations. With widespread application of dual-polarisation technology, lightning rods have a significant impact on radar differential reflectivity, particularly for X-band radars with shorter wavelengths. Quantitative analyses and methods for reducing the impact of lightning rods on radar data quality have become particularly important. In this study, lightning rods of two different sizes were configured on Beijing’s Fangshan X-band radar to perform antenna far-field tests and precipitation process comparative observation tests, and to conduct a quantitative impact assessment of the antenna electrical performance parameters and radar differential reflectivity. First, far-field tests were conducted on the impact of small- and original-diameter lightning rods on the Fangshan X-band radar. The results showed that the horizontal polarisation beam width was reduced by 0.081 and 0.08°, while the vertical polarisation beam width was reduced by 0.02 and 0.11°, respectively. Second, light rain or snowfall with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 15 dB, and a correlation coefficient greater than 0.985, were selected for comparative observation. When other environmental influences could not be isolated, the original lightning rod showed a maximum ZDR value of 1.32 dB and a maximum azimuth span of 35°. The maximum ZDR value of the small-diameter lightning rod was 0.18 dB and the maximum azimuth span was 20°; however, its deviation from the theoretical maximum value is only 0.05 dB. Therefore, once the system configuration is determined, the design of an appropriate lightning rod scheme can effectively improve radar data quality.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/2/204lighting rodX-band radardual-polarisationdifferential reflectivity |
| spellingShingle | Hui Wang Haifeng Yu Hao Wen Zhifeng Shu The Impact of Lightning Rods on the Differential Reflectivity of X-Band Radar Atmosphere lighting rod X-band radar dual-polarisation differential reflectivity |
| title | The Impact of Lightning Rods on the Differential Reflectivity of X-Band Radar |
| title_full | The Impact of Lightning Rods on the Differential Reflectivity of X-Band Radar |
| title_fullStr | The Impact of Lightning Rods on the Differential Reflectivity of X-Band Radar |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impact of Lightning Rods on the Differential Reflectivity of X-Band Radar |
| title_short | The Impact of Lightning Rods on the Differential Reflectivity of X-Band Radar |
| title_sort | impact of lightning rods on the differential reflectivity of x band radar |
| topic | lighting rod X-band radar dual-polarisation differential reflectivity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/16/2/204 |
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