AND THIS WEEK’S KSAT EXPLAINS. IT’S UP NEXT. YOU SEE IT EVERY DAY. DURING
KSAT WEATHER SEGMENT, WE WATCH
IT ON OUR PHONES. OF COURSE.
IN METEOROLOGIST WOULD SAY THAT
IT’S THE MOST IN MOST IMPORTANT
TOOL THEY HAVE. YEAH. BUT HOW
DOES DOPPLER RADAR REALLY WORK?
HOW CAN IT SEE A STORM? HOW
DOES IT SEE BAT? WHERE ARE
THESE RADARS? ALL QUESTIONS
THAT WE HOPE TO ANSWER IN
TODAY’S KSAT EXPLAINS. AND
NATURALLY, WE RECRUITED ONE OF
OUR OWN METEOROLOGIST FOR THIS
ONE. HERE’S JUSTIN HORNE.
>> BRACKEN CAVE THE HOME TO THE
LARGEST COLONY OF BATS IN THE
WORLD. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
20 MILLION MEXICAN FREETAIL
BATS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER
BEEN THE BRACKEN BAT CAVE.
THE BAD EMERGENCE IS A SIGHT
TO BEHOLD RIGHT THERE AT THE
K THERE IS LITERALLY A SWIRLING
VORTEX OF BATS. THEY’RE OKAY.
AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THEM
STREAMING AWAY AS RIVER BATS.
AND THIS GUY, WHAT THESE BATS
LACK IN SIZE THEY MAKE UP FOR
QUANTITY, WHICH EXPLAINS WHY WE
CAN SEE THESE FASCINATING
CREATURES, NOT JUST WITH OUR
EYES. IF YOU’VE EVER WONDERED
WHERE BRACKEN BAT CAVE IS
LOCATED, YOU NEED LOOK NO
FURTHER THAN
DOPPLER RADAR.
>> DURING THE EVENINGS IN THE
SUMMER, YOU CAN OFTEN SEE THEM
COMING OUT OF THE CABLES LIKE A
CIRCLE ON THE RADAR. YOU CAN
SOMETIMES SEE THEM COMING BACK
INTO THE CAVE IN THE MORNINGS
AS WELL. WE HAVE A BAT NATO
AT NIGHT TRAINING BATS IN THE
MORNING ALL DUE TO THEIR
FEEDING SCHEDULE AND THIS GIANT
SOCCER BALL LOOKING STRUCTURE
SEES EVERY BIT OF IT. THE RADAR
RIGHT HERE AROUND SOMEHOW
CAUSES AND ALL DIRECTIONS.
THAT BRADY IS A METEOROLOGIST
AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN NEW BRAUNFELS WHERE THIS
DOPPLER RADAR IS LOCATED.
IT.
>> BRADY KNOWS RADARS INSIDE
AND OUT. SO THIS IS AN
INTERESTING CASE.
>> WE HAD THUNDERSTORMS AND
THEN THE BATS CAME OUT AFTER
THE UNDERSIDES. THOSE PULSES
BRADY SPEAKS OF OUR RADIO WAVES
SENT OUT FROM THE RADAR THAT
BOUNCE OFF OBJECTS IN THE
ATMOSPHERE. ANY OPTIONS AS IS
THE CASE WITH BATS AND
OCCASIONALLY INSECTS LIKE
BUTTERFLIES, THE MOST COMMONLY
IT’S WEATHER.
>> WHAT’S THE ENERGY STRIKES?
AN OBJECT? IT’S SCATTERED IN
ALL DIRECTIONS. ONLY A SMALL
PORTION OF THE ENERGY IS
SCATTERED BACK TO THE RADAR.
BUT THAT’S ALL WE KNOW. IT’S
THERE. THE RADAR CAN ALSO
DETECT THE MOVEMENT OF THAT
OBJECT AWAY OR TOWARDS THE
RADAR. MEASURING THIS WORKS
LIKE SOUND WAVES AND THE
DOPPLER EFFECT. HENCE THE NAME
DOPPLER RADAR, WHICH IS WHAT
ALL MODERN WEATHER RADARS ARE.
IT DIDN’T TAKE THAT DATA
CONVERTED AND MAPS IT. WE LOOK
AT IT CONSTANTLY EVERY DAY.
IT COULD BE ARGUED. IT’S THE
SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL FOR
METEOROLOGIST, BUT THAT WASN’T
ALWAYS THE CASE. READ. OUR HAS
COME A LONG WAY. RADAR REALLY
WAS DEVELOPED FOR ASSISTS AND
MARITIME NAVIGATION.
>> IN THE EARLY 1900 SHIPS
NEEDED RADAR TO AVOID
COLLISIONS IN THE FOG. THEN AS
WORLD WAR 2 APPROACHED, IT WAS
THE ARMY SIGNAL CORPS THAT
DEVELOPED RADAR AS A MEANS OF
DEFENSE AFFECT U.S.. ARMY
SIGNAL CORPS COINED THE ACRONYM
RADAR.
>> DEFECTION AND RANGE. IT IN
1934. THEY CONDUCTED THEIR
EXPERIMENTS ON BEHALF OF THE
UNITED STATES NAVY BECAUSE THE
NEIGHBORS CONCERNED AGAIN BACK
TO THE NET MARITIME NAVIGATION
BY WARTIME, THESE EXPERIMENTAL
RADARS TO DETECT AIRCRAFT, TOO,
AS WAS THE CASE ON DECEMBER
7TH 1941. MAKE THE SPOTTED THE
RIGHT. THE FLAMES 130 NAUTICAL
MILES NORTH OF WALK. THE COURSE
IS THE JAPANESE INVASION.
PEOPLE HARBOR.
>> MANY COUNTRIES EXPERIMENTED
WITH RADAR DURING THIS TIME AND
IT TOOK OFF IN OUR WAS A BOON
FOR AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER.
BUT ALSO LATER, THE BELT
ALREADY ASTRONOMY.
>> TRAFFIC COPS NOW IS THAT
LATER ON THE CHECK, THAT
SPEEDERS.
>> BUT IT WAS DETECTING WHETHER
WE’RE ARGUABLY IT PROVE MOST
USEFUL. SO AFTER THE WAR, SOME
OF THE RADARS WERE DONATED TO
THE WEATHER BUREAU.
NOW THERE ARE 159 WEATHER RADAR
STRATEGICALLY PLACED THROUGHOUT
THE U.S. AND ITS TERRITORIES.
>> AND THEY’VE BEEN IN USE EVER
SENSE. AND THEY’VE IMPROVED
ABOUT 10 TO 15 YEARS AGO THAT
WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT PROVED
OPERATOR HAS A GRAPHIC ON TO
COLLEGE STATION.
>> THIS MEANS WE WENT FROM ONLY
LOOKING HORIZONTALLY THROUGH
THE ATMOSPHERE TO LOOKING
HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY.
THIS CHANGE HAS BEEN A HUGE
STEP FORWARD IN THE WORLD OF
CAN TELL US HOW.
>> A STRONG THUNDERSTORM MAY
COULD ALSO BE
>> POSSIBLE ROTATION IN FOR
BRADY. THIS VERY TECHNOLOGY
HELPED IN A SEVERE WEATHER
OUTBREAK. THIS PAST MARCH WHILE
WE WERE IN THE KSAT STORM
CHASER, HE WAS RADAR OPERATOR
AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
THAT DAY. IT WAS A SIGNIFICANT
ONE ELSE THAT YOU HAVE TO BRADY
IN THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ISSUING
WARNINGS TAG THEIR TORNADO
WARNING WITH THE WORDING
TORNADO ON THE GROUND WITHOUT
ANY EYEWITNESS CONFIRMATION
BECAUSE THEY COULD SEE DEBRIS
ON THE RADAR KICKED UP BY THE
TORNADO ITSELF. THIS HELPED
GET WORD OUT FASTER FOR SAN
ANTONIO. WE UTILIZE TO RADARS
ONE-YEAR BRACKETTVILLE IN THIS
ONE IN NEW BRAUNFELS. WE WANTED
A CLOSER LOOK. SO AFTER A 90
FOOT CLIMB UP SOME PRETTY STEEP
STEPS. WE MAKE IT INSIDE THE
WHICH PROTECTS THE RADAR ITSELF
FROM THE ELEMENTS. IT LOOKS
KIND OF LIKE A SOCCER BALL
RIGHT NOW. WE’RE INSIDE THE
RAID. ALL MEN AT THE RADAR
WHERE AND USE IT WOULD BE
SPENDING AROUND. IT’S ON THE
OTHER SIDE OF THIS DISH FOR
WAYS IN MID IN RETURN YOU THE
SPEED OF LIGHT DURING CALM AIR.
>> I WHETHER IT’S GOING MUCH
SLOWER. BUT THEN DURING VERY
VIOLENT WEATHER LIKE TORNADOES,
POSSIBLY IT’S REALLY SPENDING
FAST. AND IT’S IT’S MAKING CUTS
IN THE AIR VERY QUICKLY AS FAST
AS WE CAN. IT’S A BIG PIECE
OF MACHINERY. ENOUGH. HUMAN
WERE TO STAND IN THE WAY OF
THE MEETING WAVES, WHICH IS
NOT ADVISED.
>> YOU FEEL YOUR BODY IS
STARTING TO HEAT UP LIKE A
MICROWAVE.
>> THE RADAR TILTS. SO IT’S
NEVER AIMED AT TOWARDS THE
GROUND OR US. BUT INSTEAD
THROUGH VARYING PARTS OF
THUNDERSTORMS THAT COULD ALLOW
US TO SEE.
>> HIGHER UP AND THUNDERSTORMS
AND SEA OF 8 HALE COURSE
DEVELOPING ABOVE THE GROUND.
IN OTHER WORDS, WE CAN SEE IF A
STORM MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL
BEFORE THAT HAIL EVEN MAKES IT
TO THE SURFACE. WE CAN EVEN SEE
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SLEET
AND SNOW. AT THE END OF THE
DAY, IT’S ALL THESE THINGS.
THE BIG RADAR INVALUABLE.
IT HELPS YOU PLAN YOUR DAY
HELPS US FORECAST THE WEATHER.
IF YOU EVER WANT TO KNOW WHAT
THE BATS ARE UP TO, IT HELPS
WITH THAT TOO. FOR KSAT
EXPLAINS. I’M JUSTIN WARRANT.
>> IT’S SCIENCE. FASCINATING.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE
KSAT EXPLAINS EPISODES LIKE
THIS ONE. TAKE YOUR PHONE OUT.
SCANNED THE QR CODE ON YOUR
SCREEN RIGHT NOW. IT WILL TAKE
YOU DIRECTLY TO THE KSAT