Cloud Radar calibration transfer campaign in Jülich
Published: 18, June, 2024

With the objective of testing the calibration transfer service of CCRES, the CCRES-FR reference cloud radar (94 GHz BASTA) was operated at the JOYCE observatory in Jülich, Germany, next to the local MIRA 35 GHz radar for three months (December 2023 – February 2024). Both radars sampled a large number of cloud profiles used to transfer the reference calibration to the local radar.
Results indicate that the JOYCE radar has a mean bias of 0.2 dB with respect to the reference radar, which is negligible when compared with the calibration transfer uncertainty (0.9 dB). The obtained parameters have enabled the writing of an official calibration report and reflection on how to implement re-calibrations within CloudNET products.
The result has also been validated by calibrating the reference radar before and after the campaign, where a difference of about 0.2 dB was found, again well under the experiment uncertainty of 0.8 dB. This confirms that the reference radar calibration did not change meaningfully during its displacement to Germany.
Information about the procedure, time, and personnel resources needed were shared during the CCRES workshop on 11 June 2024. This information will also be useful for a cost-benefit evaluation of calibration transfer as a service.