Detecting bird movements with L‐band avian radar and S‐band dual‐polarization Doppler weather radar

Abstract

Marine surveillance radars with X‐band (3‐cm) and S‐band (10‐cm) wavelengths not only detect birds but also record return from insects, rain, ground objects and rough seas that often make discrimination of echoes from birds difficult. We compare the density of bird tracks recorded by an L‐band (ca. 23‐cm wavelength) avian radar at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport that does not detect insects and rain with the amount of mean bird reflectivity in resolution cells of a dual‐polarization S‐band Doppler weather surveillance radar. Radar data files of 1.5° scans gathered near midnight from January through May for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 were processed by filtering radar resolution cells to retain only those with backscatter differential phase values characteristic of birds flying more or less perpendicular to the radar beam. In general, increases and decreases in the density of bird movements were correlated significantly between the two radars, but the low R2 values confirm that results obtained from one radar cannot be used to make quantitative estimates for the other. A decrease in the mean biomass index of migrating birds from January through May, and the difference in coverage volume and resolution between the two radars likely account for the low R2 values. Each type of radar has advantages and provides important information on bird movements at different spatial scales.

When can local bird detection radars best complement broad‐scale early‐warning forecasts of risk potential for bird–aircraft strikes as part of an integrated approach to strike mitigation?

“…An increasing number of airports are installing bird detection radars (hereafter BDRs) to help identify bird movements and reduce the potential for strikes (Brand et al 2011, Ehasz 2012, Shamoun‐Baranes et al 2017, Phillips et al 2018). These small, mobile radars are specifically designed to detect bird‐like targets and can track both individuals and flocks at lower altitudes than WSRs, allowing for improved situational awareness at local scales by identifying hazards within the airport environment (Gauthreaux and Belser 2003, Kelly 2005, Nohara et al 2005, Beason et al 2013, Gauthreaux et al 2018). Most BDRs can provide horizontal coverage extending several kilometers from an airfield and vertical coverage to at least 1000 m above ground level (AGL) (Beason et al 2013).…”

Mitigation measures for preventing collision of birds with wind turbines

“…Habitat loss, barriers for migration and feeding areas as well as fatalities due to collisions with wind turbines are some of the widely discussed effects of wind farms on bird life [1,2]. In this regard, many efforts have been made to understand and measure the impacts of wind energy on bird population [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13], i.e. to measure how the reproduction, mortality, and survival of a population are affected [14].…”

A Study of Coal Surface Mining Operations in the Central U.S. Based on Remote Sensing Data

“…Эти исследования мы проводим с использованием космоснимков высокого раз решения, находящихся в свободном доступе. С появлени ем технологий дистанционного зондирования Земли из космоса спектр исследований значительно расширился, о чем свидетельствуют работы российских и зарубежных исследователей [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. По наше му мнению, эта тематика не потеряет своей актуальности в ближайшее десятилетие.…”