Dual-parameter radar rainfall measurement from space: a test result from an aircraft experiment

Abstract

An aircraft experiment has been conducted with a dual-frequency (X/Ka-bands) radar to test various rainfall retrieval methods from space. The authors test a method to derive raindrop size distribution (DSD) parameters from the combination of a radar reflectivity profile and a path-integrated attenuation derived from the surface return, which may be available from most spaceborne radars. The test results indicate the feasibility of the dual-parameter radar measurement from space in achieving a better accuracy in quantitative rainfall remote measurements.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>