Use of Doppler radar for the measurement of atmospheric turbulence parameters from the intensity of clear‐air echoes

Doppler radars measure the refractivity turbulence structure constant C n 2 in a straightforward manner. In this paper we explore the relationship between C n 2 and the intensity of atmospheric turbulence as parameterized by the eddy dissipation rate ε. We develop some tentative relations between mean C n 2 and mean ε within the framework of inertial range turbulence theory, taking into account the intermittent nature of atmospheric turbulence. These relations permit the estimation of mean ε from radar observations alone. The analysis is applied to the determination from Sunset radar data of vertical profiles and time‐height contours of mean ε.