Compact Discs Doppler Radar by Gina Barone Doppler Radar is defined as weather radar that measures direction and speed of a moving object, such as drops of precipitation, by determining whether the atmospheric motion is horizontally toward or away from the radar. It measures the velocity of particles using the Doppler effect. Doppler radar research began in the 1960's.
Weather radar sends out radio waves from an antenna.
Objects in the air, such as rain drops, snow crystals, hailstones or even insects and dust, scatter and reflect some of the radio waves back to the antenna. Another function of Doppler radar is it can show directions and speeds of winds in the area it is tracking. This is found based on the Doppler effect, which is when objects move toward the antenna the frequency received is higher and when objects move away from the antenna the frequency is lower. Doppler radar is used and found as a reliable source everyday in our society. Every time a person watches The Weather Channel or a news channel they view satellite pictures that involve radar or Doppler radar.