I-skyline yase-Aggieland iza kutshintsha ngempelaveki xa kufakelwa inkqubo entsha yeradar yemozulu eluphahleni lweSakhiwo se-Eller Oceanography and Meteorology kwiYunivesithi yaseTexas A&M.
Ukufakwa kweradar entsha kusisiphumo sentsebenziswano phakathi kweClimavision kunye neSebe lezeNzululwazi zeMozulu laseTexas i-A&M ukuze kucingwe ngokutsha indlela abafundi, abafundisi kunye noluntu abafunda kwaye basabela ngayo kwiimeko zemozulu.
Le radar intsha ithatha indawo ye-Agi Doppler Radar endala (ADRAD) ebisoloko ilawula i-Agilan ukususela ekwakhiweni kweSakhiwo seMisebenzi noLondolozo ngo-1973. Ukuhlaziywa okukhulu kokugqibela kwe-ADRAD kwenzeka ngo-1997.
Ukuba imozulu iyavuma, ukususwa kwe-ADRAD nokufakwa kweradar entsha kuya kwenzeka kusetyenziswa ihelikopta ngoMgqibelo.
“Iinkqubo zeradar zanamhlanje ziye zaphuculwa kakhulu ngokuhamba kwexesha, kuquka ubuchwepheshe obudala nobutsha,” utshilo uGqr. Eric Nelson, uprofesa oncedisayo wesayensi yomoya. “Nangona izinto ezifana ne-radiation receiver kunye ne-transmitter zabuyiselwa ngempumelelo, eyona nto sasiyixhalabele yayikukujikeleza kwazo ngoomatshini eluphahleni lwesakhiwo esisebenzayo. Ukusebenza kweradar okuthembekileyo kuye kwabiza kakhulu kwaye kwangaqinisekanga ngenxa yokuguga. Nangona ngamanye amaxesha kusebenza, ukuqinisekisa ukusebenza rhoqo kwaba yingxaki ebalulekileyo, kwaye xa ithuba leClimavision livela, kwaba nengqiqo.”
Inkqubo entsha yeradar yiradar ye-X-band enika ukufunyanwa kwedatha enesisombululo esiphezulu kunezakhono ze-S-band ze-ADRAD. Ine-antenna yeenyawo ezi-8 ngaphakathi kweradome yeenyawo ezili-12, umahluko omkhulu kwiiradar ezindala ezazingenalo ukhuseleko lokubakhusela kwiimeko zokusingqongileyo ezifana nemozulu, ubumdaka kunye nomonakalo womzimba.
I-radar entsha yongeza amandla e-dual polarization kunye nokusebenza okuqhubekayo, oku kuphuculo olubaluleke kakhulu kuneyangaphambili. Ngokungafaniyo ne-single horizon polarization ye-ADRAD, i-dual polarization ivumela amaza e-radar ukuba ahambe kuzo zombini iindiza ezithe tye nezithe nkqo. UGqr. Courtney Schumacher, uprofesa wesayensi yomoya kwiYunivesithi yaseTexas A&M, uchaza le ngcamango ngokufanisa iinyoka kunye needolphin.
“Khawucinge ngenyoka emhlabeni, efanekisela ukuqhekeka okuthe tye kweradar endala,” utshilo uSchumacher. “Xa kuthelekiswa, iradar entsha iziphatha njengehlengethwa, ikwazi ukuhamba ngenqwelomoya ethe nkqo, nto leyo evumela ukubonwa kwimilinganiselo ethe tye nethe nkqo. Olu buchule lusivumela ukuba sibone ii-hydrometeors kwiimilinganiselo ezine size sahlule phakathi komkhenkce, iliqhwa nekhephu kunye nesichotho, kwaye siphinde sivavanye izinto ezifana nobungakanani kunye nobukhulu bemvula.”
Ukusebenza kwayo rhoqo kuthetha ukuba iradar inokubonelela ngombono opheleleyo nogqibeleleyo ngaphandle kwesidingo sokuba ootitshala nabafundi bathathe inxaxheba, lo gama nje iinkqubo zemozulu zikufutshane.
“Indawo ekuyo i-radar ye-Texas A&M iyenza ibe yi-radar ebalulekileyo yokujonga ezinye zezona zinto zinomdla kwaye ngamanye amaxesha ziyingozi,” utshilo uGqr. Don Conley, uprofesa wesayensi yomoya eTexas A&M. “I-radar entsha iza kubonelela ngedatha entsha yophando yophando lwemozulu olunzima nolunobungozi, ngelixa ikwabonelela ngamathuba ongezelelweyo kubafundi abasaqalayo ukuba benze uphando lokwazisa besebenzisa idatha yasekuhlaleni exabisekileyo.”
Impembelelo yeradar entsha idlulela ngaphaya kwezemfundo, iphucula kakhulu iinkonzo zokuqikelela imozulu kunye nezilumkiso kuluntu lwasekuhlaleni ngokwandisa ukugubungela kunye nokwandisa ukuchaneka. Amandla aphuculweyo abalulekile ekukhupheni izilumkiso zemozulu ngexesha elifanelekileyo nelichanekileyo, ukusindisa ubomi kunye nokunciphisa umonakalo wepropathi ngexesha leziganeko zemozulu ezimbi. Isitishi saseBryan College, esasikade sikwindawo "engenamsantsa weradar", siya kufumana ukugubungela ngokupheleleyo kwiindawo ezisezantsi, nto leyo eyandisa ukulungela koluntu kunye nokhuseleko.
Idatha yeradar iya kwenziwa ifumaneke kumaqabane e-Climavision karhulumente, njengeNational Severe Storms Laboratory, kunye nabanye abathengi be-Climavision, kuquka nabezindaba. Kungenxa yempembelelo embaxa ekugqweseni kwezemfundo kunye nokhuseleko loluntu ukuba i-Climavision inomdla kakhulu wokubambisana ne-Texas A&M ukuphuhlisa iradar entsha.
“Kuyachulumancisa ukusebenza neTexas A&M ukufaka iradar yethu yemozulu ukuvala izikhewu kweli candelo,” utshilo uChris Good, i-CEO yeClimavision eseLouisville, eKentucky. “Le projekthi ayigcini nje ngokwandisa ulwazi olupheleleyo olupheleleyo oluvela kwiiyunivesithi nakwiikhampasi zeekholeji, kodwa ikwabonelela abafundi ngamava okufunda ulwazi oluphambili oluya kuba nefuthe lokwenyani kuluntu lwasekuhlaleni.”
I-radar entsha yeClimavision kunye nentsebenziswano neSebe lezeNzululwazi zeMkhathi ibonisa isiganeko esibalulekileyo kwilifa elityebileyo le-Texas A&M lobuchwepheshe be-radar, eliqala ngeminyaka yoo-1960 kwaye lisoloko liphambili ekuveliseni izinto ezintsha.
“I-Texas A&M ibisoloko idlala indima ephambili kuphando lwe-radar yemozulu,” utshilo uConley. “UNjingalwazi u-Aggie ube negalelo elikhulu ekuchongeni amaza afanelekileyo kunye namaza okukhanya okusetyenziswa kwi-radar, ebeka isiseko sokuqhubela phambili kulo lonke ilizwe ukusukela ngeminyaka yoo-1960. Ukubaluleka kwe-radar kwabonakala ngokwakhiwa kwesakhiwo se-Bureau of Meteorology ngo-1973. Esi sakhiwo senzelwe ukugcina nokusebenzisa obu buchwepheshe bubalulekileyo.”
Le teknoloji idale iinkumbulo ezimnandi kubafundisi beYunivesithi yaseTexas A&M, abasebenzi kunye nabafundi kuyo yonke imbali yeradar njengoko yayithatha umhlala-phantsi.
Abafundi beYunivesithi yaseTexas A&M babesebenzisa i-ADRAD ngexesha leNkanyamba i-Ike ngo-2008 baza badlulisela ulwazi olubalulekileyo kwiNkonzo yeSizwe yeMozulu (i-NWS). Ukongeza ekujongeni idatha, abafundi babonelela ngokhuseleko loomatshini kwiiradar njengoko iinkanyamba zisondela elunxwemeni kwaye bajonga neeseti zedatha ezibalulekileyo ezinokufunwa yiNkonzo yeSizwe yeMozulu.
Ngomhla wama-21 kuMatshi 2022, i-ADRAD yabonelela ngoncedo olungxamisekileyo kwi-NWS xa ii-supercells zokujonga i-radar ze-KGRK Williamson County ezisondela kwiBrazos Valley zakhutshazwa okwethutyana yinkanyamba. Isilumkiso sokuqala senkanyamba esakhutshwa ngobo busuku ukulandelela i-supercell ecaleni komgca osemantla weBurleson County sasisekelwe kuhlalutyo lwe-ADRAD. Ngosuku olulandelayo, iinkanyamba ezisixhenxe zaqinisekiswa kwindawo yesilumkiso ye-NWS Houston/Galveston County, kwaye i-ADRAD yadlala indima ebalulekileyo ekubikezeleni nasekulumkiseni ngexesha lesiganeko.
Ngokubambisana kwayo neClimavision, iTexas A&M Atmopher Sciences ijolise ekwandiseni kakhulu amandla enkqubo yayo entsha yeradar.
“I-radar ye-AjiDoppler incede i-Texas A&M kunye noluntu kakuhle amashumi eminyaka,” utshilo uGqr. R. Saravanan, uprofesa kunye nomlawuli weSebe lezeNzululwazi zoMkhathi eTexas A&M. “Njengoko isondela esiphelweni sobomi bayo obuluncedo, siyavuya ukwenza ubudlelwane obutsha neClimavision ukuqinisekisa ukuba ithathelwa indawo ngexesha elifanelekileyo. Abafundi bethu baya kuba nokufikelela kwidatha yamva nje yeradar yemfundo yabo yemozulu. “Ukongeza, iradar entsha iya kuzalisa ‘intsimi engenanto’ kwiBryan College Station ukunceda uluntu lwasekuhlaleni lulungiselele ngcono imozulu embi.”
Kucwangciselwe umsitho wokusikwa kweribhoni nokunikezelwa kwayo ekuqaleni kwesemester yasekwindla ka-2024, xa iradar isebenza ngokupheleleyo.
Ixesha leposi: Okthobha-08-2024