Sensing a change in the wind

A review is presented of new airborne sensors that enable better prediction of dangerous low-altitude windshear and microburst conditions. This research includes studies of the basic atmospheric physics and meteorology of microbursts that create windshear conditions; numerical simulation of windshear velocity, precipitation, and thermal fields; and simulation of the measurement performance of candidate sensor technologies. Based on this research, lidar, Doppler radar, and passive IR technologies all show promise for providing airborne forward-looking windshear detection.