Study weather and cloud radar fundamentals and applications
Dates: 8-11 June, 2026
Location: Fairbairn House, University of Leeds
The Introduction to Atmospheric Radar course will consist of traditional lectures interspersed with data access/analysis sessions. The topics covered will include: the fundamental physics and concepts behind weather and cloud radar measurements, including the Doppler and dual-polarisation techniques; identification and interpretation of atmospheric phenomena; remapping radar data for comparison with models and other observations; and understanding the limitations and uncertainties in radar measurements.
How to apply
Apply to attend the Introduction to Atmospheric Radar course.
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Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be able to:
- Understand the fundamentals of atmospheric radar
- Access, process, and analyse radar data using open-source software tools
- Interpret radar observations and associated atmospheric conditions
- Understand the sources of uncertainty, limitations and errors in radar data and how to mitigate them
- Be aware of the different open-access radar datasets that NCAS and the international community have to offer
- Confidently continue their development in atmospheric radar research
Teaching staff
The Introduction to Atmospheric Radar course is taught by by experts in the field from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science.
The teaching staff are Dr Lindsay Bennett (Radar Operations, Data and Partnerships Lead, and Course Lead), Dr David Dufton (Research Fellow in Radar Hydrometeorology and Course Lead), Dr Ryan Neely III (Associate Professor of Observational Atmospheric Science), Dr Sarah Barr (Research Fellow in Polar Observational Meteorology), and Dr Chris Walden (Head of the Atmospheric Measurement and Observation Facility).
Course schedule
The course will run between 9am and 6pm, 8-11 June 2026.
Costs
There is a charge to attend the Introduction to Atmospheric Radar course. Once you have been offered a place on this course, you will be asked to pay the course fees via the University of Leeds online store.
Full academic rate: £440/h5>
Educational discount rate (for students and postdoctoral researchers): £340
Travel and accommodation
Accommodation is not provided as part of the course and students should arrange their own. Students are responsible for arranging and paying for their own transport to and from the course.
Terms and conditions
Fees
Attendees are required to pay in full by credit/debit card or provide a valid purchase order from their home organisation by the confirmation deadline. All payments and refunds are processed by the University of Leeds.
Cancellations/ refunds
Attendee cancellations are subject to a £50 administration fee, plus any accommodation cancellation costs incurred by us, where the cancellation is made more than six weeks (twelve weeks for the Atmospheric Measurement Summer School) before the date of the training course. The remaining balance of the course fee will be refunded.
No refund is payable for a cancellation made within six weeks immediately prior to the training course – in this event the full course fee will remain payable. In the event that a place can be filled by another student then the full fee (less the £50 administration fee) will be refunded once the replacement student has paid in full.
All cancellations must be sent in writing to training@ncas.ac.uk.
Amendments and cancellations
It may be necessary for us to change the content and timing of a course, the staff, the date or the venue. In the unlikely event of the course being cancelled, we will provide a full refund. For all bookings, the liability of the National Centre for Atmospheric Science/University of Leeds shall be limited to the amount of the fee paid to the National Centre for Atmospheric Science/University of Leeds by the delegate.