Observations of Radar Propagation and Influencing Meteorological Factors during the 1946-47 Antarctic Expedition

• Main Authors: Hopkins, Robert U, Gibbs, James H
• Other Authors: NAVY ELECTRONICS LAB SAN DIEGO CA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1947
• Subjects: Active & Passive Radar Detection & Equipment; *METEOROLOGICAL RADAR; *RADAR EQUIPMENT; *RADAR SIGNALS; AIRCRAFT ANTENNAS; ANTARCTIC REGIONS; DESTROYERS; METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA; PERFORMANCE(ENGINEERING); PROPAGATION; RADAR ANTENNAS; RANGE(DISTANCE); SEAPLANES; TENDERS(VESSELS); VERY HIGH FREQUENCY; AN/APS-2F; AO 52 VESSEL; AV 7 VESSEL; DD 785 VESSEL; HIGHJUMP OPERATION; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0895876; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0895876

Admiral Byrd's antarctic expedition of 1946-47 offered an excellent opportunity to study radar wave propagation and low-level meteorological conditions which exist about the Antarctic Continent. Although a great deal has been reported concerning the general meteorology of the antarctic, the conditions which affect the ranges of radar have never been stressed due to the relatively recent development of radar and use of the radio frequencies concerned. This report deals with the radar and meteorological measurements that were made during the cruise of the Western Task Group of Operation HIGHJUMP. Most of the measurements reported were made aboard the seaplane tender USS CURRITUCK. This tender made available the convenient use of PBM and helicopter aircraft. The antarctic portion of the cruise was made during the antarctic summer months, between 22 December 1946 and 4 March 1947. The ship kept a close proximity at all times to the continental ice pack which extends about 50 to 150 miles from the continent in most regions. The area covered lay between 180 degrees east longitude and 34 degrees east longitude during the above-mentioned period.