Turbulence due to vertical wind shear at the tropopause temperature inversion produces small-scale temperature irregularities which cause echoes on sensitive microwave radars and allow monitoring of the tropopause level and study of the progression of dynamic instability and turbulence generation in the clear atmosphere. For tropopause temperatures below about -45 to -50°C, the structure constant C2T, a characteristic measure of temperature variability within the inertial subrange, may be determined from radar reflectivity with an error less than 3 dB by neglecting water vapor contributions to refractive-index variability.

February issue includes Appendix entitled Directory of United States Government periodicals and subscription publications; September issue includes List of depository libraries; June and December issues include semiannual index

The book is a concise guide dealing with the subject of air turbulence and its methods of detection with particular applications to aviation turbulence. It begins with a general description of turbulence and provides a background into the nature and causes of atmospheric turbulence that affect aircraft motion, giving updates on the state-of-the-art research on clear air turbulence (CAT). Important physical processes leading to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, a primary producer of CAT, are also explained. The several categories of CAT along with its impact on commercial aviation are also presented in a separate chapter, with particular emphasis on the structural damages to planes and injuries. The central theme of the book deals with both the earlier and the latest CAT detecting methods and techniques for remote and in situ sensing and forecasting. A concise presentation of new technologies for reducing aviation weather-related accidents is also offered. A chapter on the weather accident prevention project of the NASA aviation safety program is also included. Additionally, the book ends with a full description of the recent research activities on CAT and future challenges in turbulence detection, prediction and avoidance.