50RWP

The 50-MHz radar wind profiler/RASS (RWP50) measures wind profiles from (nominally) 2 to 12 km and virtual temperature profiles from 2 to 4 km. It operates by transmitting electromagnetic energy into the atmosphere and measuring the strength and frequency of backscattered energy. Virtual temperatures are recovered by transmitting an acoustic signal vertically and measuring the electromagnetic energy scattered from the acoustic wavefront. The propagation speed of the acoustic wave is proportional to the square root of the virtual temperature.