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An airborne radar technique for studying insect migration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

S. E. Hobbs  and
W. W. Wolf
S. E. Hobbs
Affiliation:
Ecological Physics Research Group, Cranfield Institute of TechnologyCranfield, Bedford, MK43 0AL, UK
W. W. Wolf
Affiliation:
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, South Atlantic Area, Insect Biology and Population Management Research Laboratory, PO Box 748, Tifton, GA 31793-0748, USA
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Abstract

An airborne radar system able to measure insect density profiles and the orientation of individual insect targets was developed using standard components. Using the system, typical moth targets, with a radar cross-section of 1 cm2, can be detected to a range of about 1 km. Signals from 48 separate height bands, each 15 m deep, are recorded on three analogue data channels. Analogue outputs related to aerial population per hectare can be viewed in real-time. Signals recorded during recent field work show an inclined layer over a track length of 30 km, with target orientation profiles at two positions along the layer. The strongest orientation occurred in regions of wind shear. Airborne entomological radar powerfully complements existing techniques by virtue of its mobility, providing unique opportunities to study the spatial organization of migration, to track features as they develop and to survey large areas.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 79 , Issue 4 , November 1989 , pp. 693 - 704
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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