Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “RADAR ATTENUATION”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Improved Coupled Z-R and k-R Relations and the Resulting Ambiguities in the Determination of the Vertical Distribution of Rain from the Radar Backscatter and the Integrated Attenuation

Several algorithms to calculate a rain-rate profile from a single-frequency air-or spaceborne radar backscatter profile and a given path-integrated attenuation have been proposed. The accuracy of any such algorithm is limited by the ambiguities between the (multiple) exact solutions, which depend on the variability of the parameters in the Z-R and k-R relations used. In this study, coupled Z-R and k-R relations are derived based on the drop size distribution. It is then shown that, because of the coupling, the relative difference between the multiple mutually ambiguous rain-rate profiles solving the problem must remain acceptably low, provided the available path-integrated attenuation value is known to within 0.5 dB.

Haddad, Z. S.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Communications Link Characterization Experiment (CLCE), volume 3

The results of data which were acquired, reduced and analyzed as of June 1977, from the Communications Link Characterization Experiment while utilizing the Communications Link Characterization Experiment while utilizing the Communications Technology Satellite is presented. The long term yearly and worst month propagation data from both stations are presented for the defined yearly period and the test results of the Goddard Television Experiment are described. The data for the continuing path length analysis are updated. Progress on the continuing analysis of utilizing the weather radars for attenuation prediction is given and the concept of the weather radar ratio is presented.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2007

Methods of Attenuation Correction for Dual-Wavelength and Dual-Polarization Weather Radar Data

In writing the integral equations for the median mass diameter and number concentration, or comparable parameters of the raindrop size distribution, it is apparent that the forms of the equations for dual-polarization and dual-wavelength radar data are identical when attenuation effects are included. The differential backscattering and extinction coefficients appear in both sets of equations: for the dual-polarization equations, the differences are taken with respect to polarization at a fixed frequency while for the dual-wavelength equations, the differences are taken with respect to frequency at a fixed polarization. An alternative to the integral equation formulation is that based on the k-Z (attenuation coefficient-radar reflectivity factor) parameterization. This-technique was originally developed for attenuating single-wavelength radars, a variation of which has been applied to the TRMM Precipitation Radar data (PR). Extensions of this method have also been applied to dual-polarization data. In fact, it is not difficult to show that nearly identical equations are applicable as well to dualwavelength radar data. In this case, the equations for median mass diameter and number concentration take the form of coupled, but non-integral equations. Differences between this and the integral equation formulation are a consequence of the different ways in which attenuation correction is performed under the two formulations. For both techniques, the equations can be solved either forward from the radar outward or backward from the final range gate toward the radar. Although the forward-going solutions tend to be unstable as the attenuation out to the range of interest becomes large in some sense, an independent estimate of path attenuation is not required. This is analogous to the case of an attenuating single-wavelength radar where the forward solution to the Hitschfeld-Bordan equation becomes unstable as the attenuation increases. To circumvent this problem, the equations can be expressed in the form of a final-value problem so that the recursion begins at the far range gate and proceeds inward towards the radar. Solving the problem in this way traditionally requires estimates of path attenuation to the final gate: in the case of orthogonal linear polarizations, the attenuations at horizontal and vertical polarizations (same frequency) are required while in the dual-wavelength case, attenuations at the two frequencies (same polarization) are required.

Meneghini, R.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Anisotropic Melt Inclusions as a Confounding Signal for Ice‐Penetrating Radar Observations

Ice-penetrating radar is a powerful geophysical tool for understanding the subsurfaces of Earth, Mars, and icy moons. Radar reflectivity, attenuation, and birefringence are used to infer subsurface hydrology, englacial temperature, water content, and crystal orientation fabric. However, conventional radar sounding analyses either ignore melt or use classical mixing models which assume spherical melt inclusions, obscuring anisotropic contributions of melt. Here, we use geometric mixing models to calculate the reflectivity, attenuation, and birefringence of temperate ice containing anisotropic melt. We find that anisotropic melt can introduce significant deviations in radar measurements. For instance, melt anisotropy may impact reflectivity-based estimates of water content by up to 30% volume fraction, while attenuation-based estimates may vary by up to 43%. Critically, a melt volume fraction of just $f$ ~ 10 -5 can reproduce birefringence signals previously attributed to ice fabric. We conclude that melt anisotropy may significantly impact analyses of englacial hydrology, subglacial hydrology, and ice fabric.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

How Much Attenuation Extinguishes mm-Wave Vertically Pointing Radar Return Signals?

Vertically pointing radars (VPRs) operating at millimeter wavelengths measure the power return from raindrops enabling precipitation retrievals as a function of height. However, as the rain rate increases, there are combinations of rain rate and rain path length that produce sufficient attenuation to prevent the radar from detecting raindrops all the way through rain shafts. This study explores the question: Which rain rate and path length combinations completely extinguish radar return signals for VPRs operating between 3 and 200 GHz? An important step in these simulations is converting attenuated radar reflectivity factor into radar received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in order to determine the range where the SNR drops below the receiver detection threshold. Configuring the simulations to mimic a U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Mission (ARM) W-band (95 GHz) radar deployed in Brazil, the simulation results indicate that a W-band radar could observe raindrops above 3.5 km only when the rain rate was less than approximately 4 mm h -1 . The deployed W-band radar measurements confirm the simulation results with maximum observed heights ranging between 3 and 4.5 km when a surface disdrometer measured 4 mm h -1 rain rate (based on 25-to-75 percentiles from over 25,000 W-band radar profiles). In summary, this study contributes to our understanding of how rain and atmospheric gas attenuation impacts the performance of millimeter-wave VPRs and will help with the design and configuration of multi-frequency VPRs deployed in future field campaigns.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2000

Methods of Attenuation Correction for the TRMM Precipitation Radar Data

The surface reference technique (SRT) has been studied extensively both theoretically and experimentally over the last decade. It is only with the launch of the Tropical Rain Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar, however, that we can begin to test directly whether the technique provides a reliable means of attenuation correction for spaceborne weather radars. Preliminary results indicate that the method yields results that are qualitatively reasonable when the rain rate is moderate or high and when the surface provides a stable reference value. The structure of the normalized radar cross section of the surface (NRCS), however, is highly complex in the sense that the statistics change with background type, incidence angle, location, and season. As a consequence of this, the reliability of the path attenuation estimate is not proportional simply to the amount of rain attenuation but to the rain attenuation relative to the inherent variability of the reference target. To illustrate the behavior of the SRT, several overpasses of the Hurricane Bonnie are shown. We also show that the proper choice of reference data set (spatial, temporal and global) can be critical to the success of the method.

Meneghini, Robert↗
NASA NTRS1989

Experimental tests of methods for the measurement of rainfall rate using an airborne dual-wavelength radar

Several attenuation-based methods for estimating the rainfall rate were applied to measurements made by an airborne dual-wavelength radar operating at 0.87 cm, the K(a)-band, and at 3 cm, the X-band. These methods included the traditional Z-R methods, designated Z(X)-R and Z(K)-R for the X- and K(a) band wavelengths, respectively; single- and dual-wavelength surface reference techniques (SRT and DSRT, respectively); and standard dual-wavelength methods with and without range-averaging. As the primary sources of error for these methods are nearly independent, agreement among the rain rates obtained with these methods would lend confidence in the results. Correlation coefficients obtained between the rainfall rates with the Z(X)-R and DSRT methods were generally between 0.7 and 0.9. Good agreement among the methods occurred most often in stratiform rain for rain rates betwen a few mm/hr to about 15 mm/hr, i.e., where attenuation at the shorter wavelength is significant but not so severe as to result in a loss of signal.

Meneghini, R.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Path-Integrated Attenuation from Airborne X-Band Radar and Passive Radiometer Measurements: Implication for Rainfall Measurements

This study compares path-integrated attenuation (PIA), in precipitation over the ocean, derived from a single-frequency X-band radar, using the surface reference technique (SRT), with that deduced from a radiometer also operating at X band. The data were collected during TRMM field campaigns. The PIA derived from radar using the SRT does not involve any assumptions regarding the precipitation but it assumes that the cross-section of the surface is stable, that is, it is not significantly altered by factors such as surface roughness. The PIA deduced from the radiometer, however, involves assumptions regarding the temperature and emissivity of the surface and absorption and scattering by the intervening precipitation, which in turn depend upon the size, concentration and composition of the precipitation particles. The comparison of the PIA from the two instruments serves not only as a check between the radar and the radiometer but also may yield insights into the structure of the intervening precipitation. Such study can provide valuable information for TRMM in which both radar and radiometers are used for rain measurements. The radiometer PIA was first deduced from the brightness temperature using a simple one-layer radiative transfer model assuming no scattering, an isothermal atmosphere. The initial results show a general agreement between the PIAs deduced from the two instruments. Largo disagreement was found at high values of PIAs that may have been caused saturation of the X-band brightness temperature or by uncertainties in wind roughening of the sea surface that affects the SRT. Further results including the effects of scattering and a non-isothermal atmosphere will be shown at the conference.

Tian, Lin↗
NASA NTRS1977

An analysis of multi-frequency high resolution radar rain rate data

Approximately 100,000 records of data at 3.05, 9.35, and 15.56 GHz, each set associated with a single look angle, are edited and analyzed to determine the characteristic dimensions of the rain cells observed and the rain rate distributions within these cells. The results, consistent with earlier results, demonstrate the feasibility of using attenuating frequency radars for high resolution rain rate measurements.

Devasirvatham, D. M. J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

On Study of Air/Space-borne Dual-Wavelength Radar for Estimates of Rain Profiles

In this study, a framework is discussed to apply air/space-borne dual-wavelength radar for the estimation of characteristic parameters of hydrometeors. The focus of our study is on the Global Precipitation Measurements (GPM) precipitation radar, a dual-wavelength radar that operates at Ku (13.8 GHz) and Ka (35 GHz) bands. As the droplet size distributions (DSD) of rain are expressed as the Gamma function, a procedure is described to derive the median volume diameter (D(sub 0)) and particle number concentration (N(sub T)) of rain. The correspondences of an important quantity of dual-wavelength radar, defined as deferential frequency ratio (DFR), to the D(sub 0) in the melting region are given as a function of the distance from the 0 C isotherm. A self-consistent iterative algorithm that shows a promising to account for rain attenuation of radar and infer the DSD without use of surface reference technique (SRT) is examined by applying it to the apparent radar reflectivity profiles simulated from the DSD model and then comparing the estimates with the model (true) results. For light to moderate rain the self-consistent rain profiling approach converges to unique and correct solutions only if the same shape factors of Gamma functions are used both to generate and retrieve the rain profiles, but does not converges to the true solutions if the DSD form is not chosen correctly. To further examine the dual-wavelength techniques, the self-consistent algorithm, along with forward and backward rain profiling algorithms, is then applied to the measurements taken from the 2nd generation Precipitation Radar (PR-2) built by Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It is found that rain profiles estimated from the forward and backward approaches are not sensitive to shape factor of DSD Gamma distribution, but the self-consistent method is.

Liao, Liang↗
NASA NTRS2011

Correcting Attenuation of Reflectivity in Terminal Doppler Weather Radar

This paper documents the implementation of the algorithm for correcting attenuations in the TDWR reflectivity, and examines the impacts of performing the correction algorithm on the accuracy of the resultant precipitation products on the basis of stage IV gauge-radar analyses over six storm events (four warm season events and two cool season events). Three primary findings are summarized below: 1. Correcting for attenuation tends to improve the overall bias, the conditional bias, and the correlation between the TDWR-based rainfall estimates and stage IV values regardless of season and correction schemes. 2. Attenuation correction is overall beneficial to the accuracy of resulting rainfall estimates for the warm season. By contrast, for the cool season, despite potential improvements in the bias and correlation, attenuation correction can be undesirable when there is clear evidence of bright band enhancement arising from low freezing levels. To elaborate, in these situations spurious high precipitation rates over the melting layer can yield elevated values in specific attenuation factor K, which in turn, may lead to an artificially higher reflectivity adjustment at farther range. 3. Ingesting 3-D spatially variable RUC temperature and imposing a temperature threshold in general tend to degrade the accuracy of corrected rainfall estimates for the warm season. For the cool season, in theory they would help avoid applying correction to areas within and above the melting layer. In practice, due to the variable depth of the melting layer below the freezing level, it is difficult to determine the temperature for the lower boundary of the melting layer a priori.

Ding, Feng↗
DOE OSTI2020

Estimating total attenuation using Rayleigh targets at cloud top: applications in multilayer and mixed-phase clouds observed by ground-based multifrequency radars

At millimeter wavelengths, attenuation by hydrometeors, such as liquid droplets or large snowflakes, is generally not negligible. When using multifrequency ground-based radar measurements, it is common practice to use the Rayleigh targets at cloud top as a reference in order to derive attenuation-corrected reflectivities and meaningful dual-frequency ratios (DFRs). By capitalizing on this idea, this study describes a new quality-controlled approach that aims at identifying regions of cloud where particle growth is negligible. The core of the method is the identification of a “Rayleigh plateau”, i.e., a large enough region near cloud top where the vertical gradient of DFR remains small. By analyzing co-located Ka–W band radar and microwave radiometer (MWR) observations taken at two European sites under various meteorological conditions, it is shown how the resulting estimates of differential path-integrated attenuation (ΔPIA) can be used to characterize hydrometeor properties. When the ΔPIA is predominantly produced by cloud liquid droplets, this technique alone can provide accurate estimates of the liquid water path. When combined with MWR observations, this methodology paves the way towards profiling the cloud liquid water, quality-flagging the MWR retrieval for rain and drizzle contamination, and/or estimating the snow differential attenuation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1984

Slant path rain attenuation and path diversity statistics obtained through radar modeling of rain structure

Single and joint terminal slant path attenuation statistics at frequencies of 28.56 and 19.04 GHz have been derived, employing a radar data base obtained over a three-year period at Wallops Island, VA. Statistics were independently obtained for path elevation angles of 20, 45, and 90 deg for purposes of examining how elevation angles influences both single-terminal and joint probability distributions. Both diversity gains and autocorrelation function dependence on site spacing and elevation angles were determined employing the radar modeling results. Comparisons with other investigators are presented. An independent path elevation angle prediction technique was developed and demonstrated to fit well with the radar-derived single and joint terminal radar-derived cumulative fade distributions at various elevation angles.

Goldhirsh, J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Interpolated Sounding and Gridded Sounding Value-Added Products

Standard Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility sounding files provide atmospheric state data in one dimension of increasing time and height per sonde launch. Many applications require a quick estimate of the atmospheric state at higher time resolution. The INTERPOLATEDSONDE (i.e., Interpolated Sounding) Value-Added Product (VAP) transforms sounding data into continuous daily files on a fixed time-height grid, at 1-minute time resolution, on 332 levels, from the surface up to a limit of approximately 40 km. The grid extends that high so the full height of soundings can be captured; however, most soundings terminate at an altitude between 25 and 30 km, above which no data is provided. Between soundings, the VAP linearly interpolates atmospheric state variables in time for each height level. In addition, INTERPOLATEDSONDE provides relative humidity scaled to microwave radiometer (MWR) observations.The INTERPOLATEDSONDE VAP, a continuous time-height grid of relative humidity-corrected sounding data, is intended to provide input to higher-order products, such as the Merged Soundings (MERGESONDE; Troyan 2012) VAP, which extends INTERPOLATEDSONDE by incorporating model data. The INTERPOLATEDSONDE VAP also is used to correct gaseous attenuation of radar reflectivity in products such as the KAZRCOR VAP.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗