The tropical regions are experiencing a more rapid expansion in satellite
communications than almost anywhere else in the world. Despite this phenomenal
growth, very little data is available describing how radiowaves behave
in tropical conditions.
In the tropics, rain is more intense and lasts longer than in temperate
climates, such as the UK. This heavy rain can affect radio signals profoundly,
causing signal fading and interference. To understand these effects, researchers
need to be able to measure how the rain is distributed, whether ice is
present and how high the melting layer is, a narrow band at zero degrees
Centigrade where falling ice particles melt to become rain.
Radar is an ideal tool for studying climate conditions in the tropics.
As part of this project, RCRU engineers designed, built and installed
a zenith pointing radar at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology
at Lae in 1995. This radar yielded six months' of essential climate data
before it was removed in 1997. RCRU has since developed a fully steerable
version of the Papua New Guinea radar for deployment in Singapore. Researchers
tested the radar at Chilbolton Observatory, then shipped it to Singapore
where it was installed on the roof of the Nanyang Technological University
(NTU) at the beginning of April, 1998. The radar generated a further set
of climate data. The project closed in March 2002.
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