Some factors affecting the remote sensing of rain by polarization diversity radar in the 3‐ to 35‐GHz frequency range

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Abstract
Polarization diversity radars, both CDR and ZDR, are currently being used to investigate precipitation environments for meteorological and radio science purposes. Various frequencies are being used. This paper investigates the use of such radars for the remote sensing of rain, including the dependency of the various measurements on frequency, as well as on various model assumptions about the rain, such as drop shape, drop size distribution, water temperature, and canting angle distribution. The effect of rain occurring on the path between the radar and the rain target is also considered, and at S band propagation effects are clearly worse for CDR than for ZDR radars. It is clear that the use of frequencies above about 20 GHz for the purpose of rain measurement is very problematical.