Doppler Weather Radar Network

Doppler Weather Radar Network

• The Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) Systems in Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh were unveiled by the Ministry of Earth Science on the occasion of the 148th anniversary of the establishment of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
• In order to provide more precise forecasts for extreme weather occurrences, the Ministry of Earth Science is also working to extend the Doppler weather radar network across the entire nation by 2025.

Doppler weather radars: what are they?

• It is a customized radar that generates velocity information about distant objects using the Doppler effect.

[Doppler phenomenon: The observer notices a shift in frequency when the source and the signal are moving relative to one another. Frequency rises as they got closer, and vice versa.]

• The Doppler-based radar uses a parabolic dish antenna and a foam sandwich spherical Radome to increase precision in long-range weather forecasting and surveillance.
• The DWR has the tools necessary to pinpoint the center of a storm, the path of a tornado or gust front, and the intensity and velocity of the wind.

About radar or Radio Detection and Ranging:

• It is a device that locates moving and non-moving objects by measuring their range and direction, altitude, intensity, and movement using electromagnetic waves in the microwave range.

Why Doppler weather Radar or weather forecast is important?

• Warning and advisory services are helping farmers and fishermen to improve their economy as found from the latest survey by National Centre for Applied Economic Research.

• The web GIS services launched by Indian Metrological Department (IMD) in collaboration with other state and central agencies are helping the public, disaster managers, and stakeholders to initiate timely response action to mitigate disasters.
• Prediction of weather including monsoons and cyclones are important as our GDP is still largely dependent on agriculture.
• Minimizing loss of lives from various extreme events like cyclones, heavy rain, thunderstorm, heat wave, and cold wave, etc. in recent years has been made possible due to precise forecasting and timely warnings.
• Impact-based weather forecasts and risk-based warnings at the city and district levels reduces hazard, vulnerability, and better risk assessment.
• Forecasting of monsoons that are lifelines to our food security has resulted not only in the improvement of the economy but also reducing the loss of lives due to monsoonal floods and droughts in the South Asian region.
• Weather forecasts are also playing an important role in sectors like Power, Travel &Tourism, Aviation, and Railways.

India uses Space-based observation of INSAT-3D and 3DR, OceanSat satellites for the prediction of weather events. Also, the radars and satellite data processing system were launched last year by IMD. Flash Flood Guidance in 2021 has been augmented further by increasing the number of watersheds from 30,000 to 1,00,000 in the country in 2022. It is being provided every 6 hours to Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka apart from our national use.