Your radar indicates a target; however, there is no visible object at the point indicated. A large mountain, approximately 50 miles away on the same bearing as the target, is breaking the horizon. You should suspect the radar target is caused by __________.

Correct Answer: Option D — ducting

Ducting occurs when atmospheric conditions, typically a temperature inversion, trap radar waves within a layer of the atmosphere. This allows the signal to follow the earth's curvature far beyond the normal radar horizon, causing distant objects like mountains to appear as false targets on the radar display, per Bowditch.