High Altitude Weather Characterization (HAWC)
The High Altitude Weather Characterization (HAWC) project is designed to examine how various cloud types and turbulence aloft affect thte quality of radio communications signals that are beamed from satellites to the Earth's surface. This U.S. Air Force program extends earlier research on how rain affects RF signal quality along terrestrial and satellite communication links. Field work for the project took place in Massachusetts in January and Febuary 2000. NOAA/ETL used its NOAA/K cloud radar and MMCR package to monitor the characteristics of clouds along and near the satellite-to-ground communications link. Microphysical features of the clouds were inferred from the radar/radiometer data using retrieval methods developed at ETL and elsewhere. Collaborationg groups in this research include ITT Industries, Inc., and MIT's Lincoln Laboratory.