New weather radar that observes even the lightest of drizzles

Researchers at the University of Delft in the Netherlands have developed a new weather radar system that claims to observe even the lightest of drizzles.

Amsterdam, Aug 26 : Researchers at the University of Delft in the Netherlands have developed a new weather radar system that claims to observe even the lightest of drizzles.

Named 'Drizzle Radar', it was successfully installed on the 213 metre high Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) measurement tower in Cabauw near Lopik on August 23.

According to its developers, from this spot, the highly sensitive radar, together with the other advanced instruments of the CESAR observatory (Cabauw Experimental Site for Atmospheric Research), can provide a complete picture of the interaction between dust, clouds, rain and radiation.

The scientists involved in the project say the radar is an enormous gain for climate researchers.

Dust particles play a crucial role in the formation of clouds and precipitation. They act as condensation nuclei, around which small droplets form. The more dust particles, the more dense the clouds, the more solar radiation is reflected and the cooler the Earth stays.

A cooler Earth consequently, leads to less precipitation, because cooler air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air.

Scientists say the extremely complicated interplay of factors can only be elucidated through detailed measurements, and it is here that the new 'Drizzle radar' comes in.

It is able to measure cloud droplets and precipitation extremely accurately. In addition, the measurement tower in Cabauw monitors the quantity and composition of dust particles and of clouds.

According to the project scientists, the International Research Centre for Telecommunications and Radar (IRCTR), as the Drizzle Radar is formally known, is capable of measuring the smallest raindrops in a thirty-kilometre zone around the observatory.

The data can then be used to determine cloud life cycles, and their relationship to radiation and airborne dust, they said.

ANI