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| [[File:Low elevation region.gif|thumb|Radar horizon.]]
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| The '''radar Horizon''' is a critical area of performance for aircraft detection systems that is defined by the distance at which the radar beam raises enough above the Earth's surface to make detection of a target at low level impossible. It is associated with the low elevation region of performance and its geometry depends upon terrain, radar height, and signal processing. This is associated with the notions of ''radar shadow'', the ''clutter zone'', and the ''clear zone''. | |
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| Airborne objects can exploit the radar shadow zone and clutter zone to avoid radar detection by using a technique called [[nap-of-the-earth]] navigation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mit.edu/~lrv/cornell/publications/radar%20principles.pdf|title=Radar Principles|publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology}}</ref>
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| == Definition ==
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| Without taking into account the refraction through the atmosphere, the radar horizon would the geometrical distance <math>D_h</math> from the radar to the horizon only taking into account the height H of the radar, and the radius of the earth <math>R_e</math> (6.4·<math>10^3</math> km).
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| :<math>D_h = \sqrt{2 \times H \times R_e}</math>
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| With this calculation, the horizon for a radar at {{convert|1|mi|km|adj=on}} altitude is {{convert|89|mi|km|adj=on}} altitude. The radar horizon with an antenna height of {{convert|75|ft|m}} over the ocean is {{convert|10|mi|km|adj=on}}. However, since the pressure and content in water vapor of the atmosphere varies with height, the path used by the radar beam is [[Refraction|refracted]] by the change in density. With a standard atmosphere, electromagnetic waves are generally bent or refracted downward. This reduces the ''shadow zone'' but causes fault in the distance and height measuring. In practice, to find <math>D_h</math> one must be using a value of 8.5·<math>10^3</math> km for the effective Earth's radius <math>R_e</math> (4/3 of it), instead of the real one.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://radartutorial.eu/07.waves/wa16.en.html |work=Radartutorial|title= Radar Line of Sight|accessdate=November 27, 2011}}</ref>
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| So the equation becomes :
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| :<math>D_h = \sqrt{2 \times H \times \left( \frac {4R_e}{3} \right)}</math>
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| And for the same examples : the radar horizon for the radar at {{convert|1|mi|km|adj=on}} altitude will be {{convert|102|mi|km|adj=on}} and the one at {{convert|75|ft|m}} will be {{convert|12|mi|km|adj=on}}.
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| Furthermore, layers with inverse trend of temperature or humidity cause [[atmospheric duct]]ing which bend downward the beam, or even traps radio waves so that they do no spread out vertically. This phenomenon occurs in two circumstances:
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| * A thin stable layer of elevated humidity
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| * Stable [[Inversion (meteorology)|temperature inversion]]
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| Ducting influences becomes stronger as frequency drops. The whole volume of the air acts as a waveguide below 3 MHz to fill in the radar shadow and also reduces radar sensitivity above the duct zone. Ducting fills in the shadow zone, extends the distance of the clutter zone, and can create reflections for [[Pulse repetition frequency#Low PRF|low PRF]] radar that are beyond the [[Envelope (radar)#Instrumented Range|instrumented range]].
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| == Limiting factors ==
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| ===Shadow Zone===
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| Objects beyond Dh will be visible only if the height satisfies the following requirement.
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| :<math>Target \ Height > \frac{ \left( Target \ Range - \sqrt{2 \times H \times Re } \right)^2 }{2 \times Re}</math> | |
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| Objects below this height are in the radar shadow.
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| ===Clutter Zone===
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| The ''Clutter Zone'' is where radar energy is in the lowest several thousand feet of air. This extends to a distance of about 120% of the radar horizon.
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| There are a large number of reflectors on the ground at these elevation angles. Prevailing winds of about 15 mile/hour cause these reflectors to move, and this wind stirs up smaller objects into the air. This interference is called [[Clutter (radar)|clutter]].
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| The clutter zone includes the [[littoral zone]] and [[terrain]] when operating on or near land.
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| A beam <math>1^o</math> wide will illuminate millions of square feet of surface by the time the radar pulse reaches {{convert|10|mi|km}}. Targets are generally much smaller so will be masked by clutter. Clutter reflections can create unwanted false targets.
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| The antenna for radar with no signal processing clutter-reduction improvement is not normally aimed near the ground to avoid overwhelming computers and users.
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| [[Moving Target Indication]] (MTI) can reduce clutter by about 35dB. This allows objects as small as {{convert|1,000|sqft|m2}} to be detected. Prevailing wind and weather can degrade MTI performance, and MTI introduces [[Radar scalloping|blind velocities]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Radar Handbook|author=Merill I Skolnik|publisher=McGraw-Hill}}</ref>
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| [[Pulse-Doppler radar]] can reduce clutter by over 60dB, which can allow objects smaller than {{convert|1|sqft|m2|adj=on}} to be detected without overloading computers and users. Systems using [[pulse-Doppler signal processing]] with speed rejection set above the wind speed have no clutter zone. This means that the clear region extends all the way to the ground. | |
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| ===Clear Region===
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| The '''Clear Region''' is the zone that begins several miles beyond the radar horizon at low elevation angles.
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| The clear region is also the zone above low elevation angles with clear skies.
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| There is no clear region in areas with weather and heavy biological activity (rain, snow, hail, high winds, and migration).
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| ==Over-the-horizon==
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| {{main|over-the-horizon radar}}
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| A number of radar systems have been developed that allow detection of targets in the shadow zone. These systems are collectively known as [[over-the-horizon radar]]s. Three systems are generally used; the most common uses the [[ionosphere]] as a reflector and beams the signal skyward and then listens for the tiny signals that are returned from the sky, others use a bistatic arrangement with distant antennas looking for objects that pass between them, and a small number of systems use "creeping waves" that travel into the shadow zone.
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| ==See also==
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| * [[Line-of-sight propagation]]
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| ==References==
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| {{Reflist}}
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| ==External links==
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| [[Category:Radar signal processing]]
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