RADAR ANGELS IN THE LOWER TROPOSPHERE

Abstract

A study of radar angels at 6800 Mc/s has been carried out at London, Canada, over a period of 1 year. Examination of the clear-air reflections from heights between 300 and 1500 meters above the vertically directed radar has shown that persistent angels occur for surface air temperatures between 30° and 50° F, and that transitory angels are present for surface temperatures above 20° F that are outside of this range. The maximum incidence of angels increases with type of air mass in the order cA, mA, mP, mT, although the most common duration is approximately the same in these air masses. If the angel is due to reflection at a horizontal flat stratum, the power reflection coefficient of the stratum lies between 10−16 and 10−14 for transitory angels and is as large as 10−11 for persistent angels. It is shown that transitory angels may arise through eddy mixing in the lower troposphere when refractivity contrasts of about one part per million occur, but that the reflecting stratum must be no more than a few centimeters in depth. It appears that persistent angels are associated with a high concentration of moisture at the ground, but their physical origin is not clear.