RETRIEVAL OF HORIZONTAL WIND PERTURBATION FIELDS FROM SIMULATED SINGLE DOPPLER RADAR OBSERVATIONS

The application of the single Doppler radar dataset analysis is usually confined to the assumption that the actualwind is linearly distributed or uniform locally.Following some dynamic features of convective weather,a conceptualmodel of moderate complexity is constructed,wherewith a horizontal wind perturbation field is retrieved directly fromthe single Doppler radar measurements.The numerical experiments are based on a 3-D cloud model-generatedconvective cell,whose radial velocity component is taken as the radar observations that are put into the closed equationsbased on the conceptual model to retrieve the horizontal wind perturbation field.After the initial field is properlytreated,the retrieval equation is solved in terms of the 2-D FFT technique and the sensitivity to noise is examined.Finally,contrast analysis is done of the retrieved and the cloud model output wind fields,indicating the usefulness of theapproach proposed in this paper.     

A preliminary archaeological and environmental study of pre‐Columbian burial towers at Huachacalla,Bolivian Altiplano

Chullpas are pre‐Columbian burial towers built by indigenous Aymaras on the Bolivian Altiplano. Bolivian chullpas date back to the Late Intermediate Period (A.D. 1000–1476) and the Late Horizon (A.D. 1476–1532). We recorded 228 chullpas among 84 sites in the Huachacalla region of west‐central Bolivia. In our study area, the chullpas are on debris flows and coarse alluvium in the proximal and medial segments of alluvial fans at the foot of two volcanoes. Grain‐size, element, and mineralogical analysis of chullpa wall material and local sediment revealed that the burial towers are composed of calcareous sand that is readily available in alluvial fan deposits near the sites. Our data suggest that the Aymaras considered environmental factors, such as drainage and stability of the soil, when they selected the locations of chullpas, whereas cultural factors played a significant role in chullpa architecture. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.