Environmental Measurements

Name (Acronym)

Environmental Measurements – Weather Radar (ENVMON)
Date

15 September - 19 December 2025
(Semester I)
Teacher

SALAS SANCHEZ Aaron Angel
Contact E-mail

2025-2026.LM.ENVMON.UniTN.TRENTO.IT@eledia.org
ECTS

3
Institution

DICAM, University of Trento
Study Program

M.S. Environmental Meteorology [LM ENVMET]
Degree

Master
Language

English
Tracks

Fields and Waves ("Advanced EM Technologies")

ABSTRACT

The course will provide an overview of the instruments and techniques to monitor the main meteorology-related environmental variables. The course will also give the basic criteria to select the proper instruments for the quantification of the environmental variables and processes. The course will show how to collect, interpret and analyze environmental data according to WMO standards and recommendations. The course will also present the fundamentals of weather radar, introducing the operation principle of radar-based meteorological observation and the physical interactions between the radar signals and the atmosphere. In particular, the student will be able to (i) understand the operation principles of weather radar and the guidelines for the design of its fundamental parameters, (ii) understand the concept of Doppler Power Spectrum, reflectivity factor, base velocity, (iii) read and analyze base reflectivity images, base velocity images, wind maps, and precipitation images.

COURSE CONTENT

Interaction between matter and electromagnetic waves
Wavelength vs. scatterer size. Doppler effect
Principle of operation of Meteorological Radar: What is a radar and how it does work
Radar fundamentals: Pulsed Radar, Doppler Radar
MeteoRadar vs. Standard Radar. Types of MeteoRadar and Applicative Domains
MeteoRadar processing: reflectivity Z, mean velocity V, velocity spectrum W
Raw data analysis: the Radagrams
MeteoRadar processing: Reflectivity, Wind Speed, Rain rate maps
Informative data vs. system properties: resolution, contrast, artifacts, ground clutter, reflectivity accuracy
Applicative Examples: Radargram visualization and interpretation. Wind map visualization and interpretation

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

Theoretical Lessons
e-Xam Self Assessment (each teaching class or periodically)
MATLAB Hands-On
e-Xam Final Assessment

FURTHER READINGS

R. M. Rauber and S.L. Nesbitt, Radar Meteorology: A First Course, May 2018, Wiley‐Blackwell.
V. N. Bringi and V. Chandrasekar, Polarimetric Doppler Weather Radar: principles and applications, Cambridge University Press, 2001
R. J. Doviak and D.S. Zrnic, Doppler radar and weather observations, 2nd ed., Academic Press, 1993
H. Sauvageot, Radar meteorology, Artech House, Boston (MA), 1992

For further references please contact the Teacher(s).

Each registered participant acknowledges that the material distributed in the frame of the course, available for the duration of one academic year, is protected by copyright and delivered for educational purposes and personal use only. The participant agrees and undertakes not to forward, publish, disclose, distribute, disseminate - in any form or manner - such a material without written consent of the author(s) of the material. Unless otherwise explicitly allowed by the speaker in written form, no recordings of the online lectures can be made.