A procedure to calibrate multiparameter weather radar using properties of the rain medium

Abstract

The joint distribution characteristics of size and shape of raindrops directly translate into features of polarization diversity measurements in rainfall. Theoretical calculations as well as radar observations indicate that the three polarization diversity measurements, namely, reflectivity, differential reflectivity, and specific differential propagation phase, lie in a constrained space that can be approximated by a three-dimensional (3D) surface. This feature as well as the vertical-looking observation of raindrops are used to determine biases in calibration of the radar system. A simple procedure is developed to obtain the bias in the absolute calibration from polarization diversity observation in rainfall. Simulation study as well as data analysis indicate that calibration errors can be estimated to an accuracy of 1 dB.