ASTM D7145-05(2015)

5.1 Sodars have found wide applications for the remote measurement of wind and turbulence profiles in the atmosphere, particularly in the gap between meteorological towers and the lower range gates of wind profiling radars. The sodar’s far field acoustic power is also used for refractive index calculations and to estimate atmospheric stability, heat flux, and mixed layer depth (1.1 This guide describes the application of acoustic remote sensing for measuring atmospheric wind and turbulence profiles. It includes a summary of the fundamentals of atmospheric sound detection and ranging (sodar), a description of the methodology and equipment used for sodar applications, factors to consider during site selection and equipment installation, and recommended procedures for acquiring valid and relevant data.

1.2 This guide applies principally to pulsed monostatic sodar techniques as applied to wind and turbulence measurement in the open atmosphere, although many of the definitions and principles are also applicable to bistatic configurations. This guide is not directly applicable to radio-acoustic sounding systems (RASS), or tomographic methods.

1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this guide.