King City weather radar station
The King City weather radar station (ICAO site identifier CWKR) is a weather radar located in King City, Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Environment Canada and is part of the Canadian weather radar network.
The 16.45 hectare[1] site is listed at an elevation of 360 m, and the tower is 27 m tall.[2]
Mounted on the tower is a 5 cm weather radar, and a C-band dual-polarization radar system was installed at the site in 2004.[3]
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[edit] Research
The station serves a number of research roles, and collects data to fulfill those observational needs. It is "responsible for providing national leadership on radar meteorology research applications".[4]
In 1984, the Research Directorate of the Atmospheric Environment Service established the first Canadian weather radar with Doppler capability in King City.[5] In 2004, a Dual-Polarization Radar was installed for further research.[6] These systems are used for predictive purposes, and the data collected is used for weather forecasts for the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe.
Further, under the auspices of the Cloud Physics and Severe Weather Research Section of Environment Canada, the King Doppler Weather Radar Research Facility collects data for research.
The C-band radar can be useful for observing bird migration patterns, especially when data is taken in aggregate with that of other radar stations. Current active research in dual-polarization radar includes winter precipitation, detection and short-term forecasting of high-impact weather events,[7] quantitative precipitation estimation,[8] satellite validation,[9] and particle type identification.
[edit] Space observation
The observatory also participates in the NEODyS system[10] operated by the University of Pisa, Italy, which tracks Near-Earth objects. Six asteroids have been discovered at this station:
| Name | Provisional designation | Type | Discovery date | Discoverer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10593 Susannesandra[11] | 1996 QQ1 | Main-belt asteroid | 25 August 1996 | Robert G. Sandness |
| 16031[12] | 1999 FJ10 | Outer main-belt asteroid | 20 March 1999 | Robert G. Sandness |
| 17055[13] | 1999 GP3 | Main-belt asteroid | 6 April 1999 | Robert G. Sandness |
| 35284[14] | 1996 TM3 | Main-belt asteroid | 5 October 1996 | Robert G. Sandness |
| 59370[15] | 1999 EK5 | Main-belt asteroid | 15 March 1999 | Robert G. Sandness |
| 85397[16] | 1996 TN3 | Main-belt asteroid | 6 October 1996 | Robert G. Sandness |
Asteroid 10593 Susannesandra was named in honour of the discoverer's wife.[17]
[edit] References
- "King City Radar Station". Environmental Science Centres: Ontario. Environment Canada. http://www.ec.gc.ca/scitech/default.asp?lang=En&n=0B9A6436-1#kcrs. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- "Information about the site". The National Radar Program. Environment Canada. 2002. http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/projects/nrp/KingCity_e.cfm. Retrieved 2006-05-24.
- C.L. Crozier, P.I. Joe, J.W. Scott, H.N. Herscovitch and T.R. Nichols (1990). "The King City Operational Doppler Radar: Development, All-Season Applications and Forecasting" (PDF). Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society. http://www.cmos.ca/Ao/articles/v290305.pdf. Retrieved 2006-05-24.
- Sills, David (2004). "The New Dual-Polarization Radar at King City". http://www.yorku.ca/pat/research/dsills/wkrpol.html. Retrieved 2006-05-24.
- "NEODys Observatory List: King City - 763". Hyperborea. http://newton.dm.unipi.it/cgi-bin/neodys/neoibo?sites:763;main. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
- "10593 Susannesandra (1996 QQ1)". JPL Small-Body Database. Solar System Dynamics, Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=10593. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- "16031 (1999 FJ10)". JPL Small-Body Database. Solar System Dynamics, Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=16031. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- "17055 (1999 GP3)". JPL Small-Body Database. Solar System Dynamics, Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=17055. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- "35284 (1996 TM3)". JPL Small-Body Database. Solar System Dynamics, Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=35284. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- "59370 (1999 EK5)". JPL Small-Body Database. Solar System Dynamics, Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=59370. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
- "85397 (1996 TN3)". JPL Small-Body Database. Solar System Dynamics, Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=85397. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
[edit] Notes
[edit] Further reading
- P. Joe and S. Lapczak (2002). "Evolution of the Canadian Operational Radar Network" (PDF). Proceedings of ERAD (Copernicus GmbH): 370—382. http://copernicus.org/erad/online/erad-370.pdf. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
[edit] External links
- Real time CWKR data from Environment Canada
43°57′50″N 79°34′25″W / 43.96389°N 79.57361°WCoordinates: 43°57′50″N 79°34′25″W / 43.96389°N 79.57361°W
