Application of Geodesy to Improve Spatial Observations of Volant Insects using Weather Surveillance Radar

This work introduces an innovative approach for the precise positioning of weather surveillance radar (WSR) beam by applying geodesic methods in combination with corrections including atmospheric refraction to situate the observations within a global reference frame. In this unified framework, the collocation of disparate observational datasets may be accomplished. One of the products of this thesis is the collocation code, which pairs observations in the same space or identifies the closest matches, resulting in combining data from collocated radar voxels from WSRs Chenies and Thurnham from the UK Met Office (UKMO). This is essential for utilising WSR observations to examine ecological problems. The UK’s "Flying Ant Day" is a unique phenomenon, characterised by the mass emergence of winged ants (Lasius niger) making it an ideal case study. To enable this, using high-fidelity anatomical scans, the radar cross-sections (RCS) of male and queen ants were simulated via electromagnetic modelling software. Combining these RCS values with UKMO WSR observations the biomass and number of ants was estimated: The average number of ants per km^3, where there was ant activity was between 10^4-10^5. These observations were collocated against a Citizen Science (CS) Survey of ~4700 responses over the period 2021 to 2022 of sightings of winged ants. The results show insect activity at altitude above 200 m, peaks a few hours before the peak of the CS responses of activity on the ground. The impact of the geodesic code written, underscores a significant enhancement in accuracy within WSR applications. The altitude of ant emergences typically could reach heights of 8 km. The improvement in altitude will facilitate research which requires high fidelity in the vertical. The aeroecology study has demonstrated an approach for quantifying the emergence patterns of these ant species with the UK Met Office, thereby laying the groundwork for broader aeroecological monitoring that can be synergized with diverse datasets.