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Report on theThird International School on Atmospheric Radar – ISAR-3 –held at the Abdus Salam International Center for TheoreticalPhysics in Trieste, Italy, 25 November – 13 December 2002Jürgen RöttgerThis school was the third in its role following ISAR-1 in 1988 in Kyoto, Japan, and ISAR-2in 1995 in Hilton Head, USA. These schools are part of the activities in the scientific andengineering community using radars for studies of the Earth’s atmosphere and ionosphere.In particular the mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere (MST) radars have become majorresearch tools in these applications. A proper knowledge of the basic methods, properanalysis, validation and interpretation of the acquired data, basing on the main theoreticalbackground of atmospheric physics, informatics and technology is demanded for suchefficient applications. The school ISAR-3 was particularly held for the purpose of trainingyoung researchers and students, who are active in or have proven relations to this area, orcould certify a solid interest and a sound perspective on this research and this technique.The school covered the main subjects of fundamentals of atmospheric radar, hardware andbasics of signal acquisition, data analysis and special applications such as interferometry,scattering of radar waves, atmospheric winds waves and turbulence, meteorology of thetroposphere and the stratosphere, the mesosphere and the aeronomy of the lowerionosphere. Besides lectures also interactive computer training was applied, intense groupand individual discussions were held, and the participants were given opportunity to presentshort papers on their own research or education.The school ISAR-3 was held at the excellent premises of the Abdus Salam InternationalCenter for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), which also provided the majority of funding forthese school activities. Additionally the ISAR-3 was sponsored and funded by the ScientificCommittee on Solar Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP) and the International Union of RadioScience (URSI). From a total of 140 applicants 28 participants were selected. These werefrom 17, mostly developing, countries.The lecturers, well known as researchers in the MST radar field, were Prof. P. Chilson,USA, Prof. S. Fukao, Japan, Prof. W. Hocking, Canada, Prof. R. Palmer, USA, Prof. S.Radicella, Italy, Prof. D.N. Rao, India, and Prof. J. Röttger, Germany. The latter three actedas school directors.Our thanks are directed to ICTP for providing the funding, facilities, housing, food, administrationand school secretariat as well as outstanding computing support and well-equippedlecture and training halls. This helped very impressively to hold the ISAR-3 in a verysuitable environment and most pleasant atmosphere.34