The Terminal Area Surveillance System (TASS)

A Program of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Note: This document remains under construction.....

World Wide Web location of this page: http://www.rap.ucar.edu/projects/tass/tass.html

Photographs of the MPAR provided courtesy of LockHeed Martin

The MPAR at Moorestown, NJ
The MPAR Lens at Syracuse, NY
MPAR Electronics and Absorber
MPAR Environmental Control Unit

Weather Event Modeling

Using a "speck" to Examine Radar Characteristics

Original Model Data
Simulated MPAR 3 Degree/1 Face
Simulated MPAR 3 Degree/4 Face
Simulated MPAR 2 Degree/4 Face
Simulated MPAR 1 Degree/4 Face
Simulated TDWR

A Simple Microburst Event

Original Model Data
Simulated MPAR 3 Degree/4 Face
Simulated MPAR 1 Degree/4 Face
Simulated TDWR
Original Model Data with all Products

A Simple Microburst and Linear Gust Front Event With No Ambient Winds

Original Model Data
Simulated MPAR 3 Degree/4 Face
Simulated MPAR 1 Degree/4 Face
Simulated TDWR
Original Model Data with all Products

Two Movies Showing a Modeled Weather Scenario of Convection Initiation, Microbursts, and Colliding Gust Fronts

Original Data versus MPAR 4-Face, 3 Degree Data
Original Data versus MPAR 4-Face, 1 Degree Data

Memphis NEXRAD WSR-88D Case Studies

29 July 1996 - Storms with a Microburst and a Gust Front

Original Data at 1725 UTC
MPAR 4-Face, 3 Degree Data
MPAR 4-Face, 1 Degree Data

29 July 1996 - Storms with Two Microbursts and a Gust Front

Original Data at 1848 UTC
MPAR 4-Face, 3 Degree Data
MPAR 4-Face, 1 Degree Data

24 July 1996 - Storms with a Microburst, Colliding Gust Fronts, and Convection Initiation

Original Data at 2219 UTC
MPAR 4-Face, 3 Degree Data
MPAR 4-Face, 1 Degree Data

30 August 1996 - Storms with two Microbursts and a Ring Gust Front

Original Data at 1919 UTC
MPAR 4-Face, 3 Degree Data
MPAR 4-Face, 1 Degree Data

29 July 1996 - Storms with Two Microbursts and a Gust Front

Original Data at 2116 UTC
MPAR 4-Face, 3 Degree Data
MPAR 4-Face, 1 Degree Data

29 July 1996 - A Large Squall Line

Original Data at 2257 UTC
MPAR 4-Face, 3 Degree Data
MPAR 4-Face, 1 Degree Data

16 September 1996 - A Large Squall Line

Original Data at 1251 UTC
MPAR 4-Face, 3 Degree Data
MPAR 4-Face, 1 Degree Data

Copyright (c) National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) 1997 -- All Rights Reserved
Last modified: 18 February 1999 5:00:00 pm
Web Page Author: Cathy Kessinger
NCAR TASS Team: Robert Barron, Cathy Kessinger, David Albo, Jaimi Yee, Gary Blackburn