What is Doppler radar? How is it different from other radar?
RADAR (a term coined as an acronym for Radio Detection and Ranging) operates as follows: a radio wave is transmitted, bounces off of distant objects and is detected when it returns to the transmitter location. The time it takes the wave to make the round trip tells how far away the object is. Doppler radar operates on the same basic principle, but it detects not only an object’s distance, but also its motion by measuring the frequency shift between the outgoing wave and the returning wave. An object moving toward the radar would increase the returning wave’s frequency while an object moving away from the radar decreases the wave’s frequency. For weather purposes, this provides important information about the speed and direction of winds within thunderstorms. Learn more about Doppler radars on this USA TODAY resource page.
