The Project aim. Within the framework of this Project it is planned:
- To develop five scanning complexes of four-frequency and dual-polarization radiometric systems;
- To perform spatio-temporally collocated four-frequency and dual-polarization measurements of clear and cloudy skies, hail and hail generative clouds (cumulonimbus) intrinsic emissions in microwave band of radiofrequencies over a wide range of observation angles and meteorological conditions;
- To develop an algorithm for cloud’s classification, hail advance prediction and hail prediction by means of radiometric observations;
- To develop prototypes of hail advance predictor and hail detector-alerter operating on the basis of microwave radiometers and to trial them in field conditions during field campaign.
Current status. The protection of rural and urban areas from hail remains an actual problem for many countries, since every year, hail causes great and severe damage to agriculture, rural and urban vegetation and properties, both, civil and state, namely, roofs and windows of buildings and houses, cars, trains, planes and their traffics, solar panels, TV and communication, etc. To prevent hail or to suppress hail power and reduce damage from hail in agriculture and in the economy it is necessary to use anti-hail protection methods and stations of hail prevention and suppression that will be more effective and inexpensive in application and in exploitation. At present the anti-hail protection is implemented by the following three methods: hail prevention method, which hinders in advance hail formation or interrupts the further growth of small ice particles in clouds, hail suppression method, which hinders the growth of already formed small and moderate hailstones into large ones, and plants overlapping method, which complete hinders or reduces the physical-mechanical impact of hail on the plant. Two techniques for hail prevention and suppression is widely employed in the world: seeding of clouds with silver iodide or other substances, which induce freezing to occur at warmer temperatures than otherwise, and the use of sonic cannons or other kinds of explosive devices. Both described techniques are not efficient against already formed hailstones, so the most important requirement in their application remains their timely startup.
The overlapping method of plants by the anti-hail net of cause is an efficient technique for protection. Unfortunately, in spite of its high cost the anti hail net is not efficient in the event of severe hail storms, because the net’s structure can collapses on the crops and the grower will be forced to replant the entire afflicted areas. Therefore, it is more reasonable to protect such areas as well additionally by cheaper cost methods and means of hail suppression.
Thus, all three techniques are required advance hail prediction and hail timely detection.
At present, for hail detection powerful Weather Doppler Radar is used, operating at short centimeter or millimeter band of radio waves. The Weather Doppler radar is an expensive and power-hungry one. Such radar can cost several hundred thousand or millions USD, in dependence of the frequency band, the power and required service facilities, The Weather Doppler radar is very complicated in signals and spatial resolution forming, in backscattered or reflected signals processing, and requires huge service facilities for its operation and exploitation. Besides the Weather Doppler radar cannot reliably classify hail generative clouds and in advance predict the hail before its beginning.
Therefore, a reason is appeared to develop new kind of advance hail predictor, detector-alerter, which will cost cheap and will provide additional advantages regarding the Weather Radar that is will be easy in application and exploitation.
expected results and their application. The main research results and achievements are expected to be:
- Database of spatio-temporally collocated measurements of clear and cloudy skies, hail and hail generative clouds brightness (more exactly antenna or apparent) temperatures at four frequencies and cross polarizations.
- A method development for clouds classification, hail advance prediction and detection.
- A prototype development of a hail radiometric detector-alerter for advance hail prediction and timely detection.
- A unique and innovative technology as a hail advance predictor and alerter.
The results of these investigations will have significant economical and social impact, particularly in agriculture, livestock farming and food industry, to preserve quantity and quality of harvest and livestock population, irrigation, water resource management, environment’s preservation, protection and sustainable monitoring, weather and precipitation forecasting by cheap cost. Commercial value of anticipated results is high and is evident. It connects with current requirements to have a simple, inexpensive, but reliable and good operating hail prediction system for high efficient protection of rural and urban vegetation and properties.
