Effect of drop size distribution on microwave link rainfall retrieval at E-band

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Fencl ◽  
Vojtech Bares
Keyword(s):  
Size Distribution ◽  
Drop Size ◽  
Rainfall Variability ◽  
Frequency Region ◽  
Drop Size Distribution ◽  
Rainfall Model ◽  
One Year ◽  
Microwave Link ◽  
Rainfall Retrieval ◽  
Rainfall Estimates

<p>Rainfall retrieval with commercial microwave links (CMLs) relies on the relation between radiowave attenuation and rainfall intensity. The CMLs used to operate predominantly at 15-40 GHz frequency region where the relation between rainfall and attenuation was close-to-linear and only slightly dependent on drop size distribution (DSD) (Berne and Uijlenhoet, 2007). New generation of CMLs operated within cellular backhaul utilizes increasingly the E-band frequencies, specifically frequency region 71 - 86 GHz. The attenuation-rainfall relation at this region is, however, substantially more dependent on DSD.</p><p>One year of DSD data retrieved from Parsivel OTT disdrometer is used to simulate theoretical attenuation and quantify the effect of DSD on CML rainfall estimates. The results show that E-band CMLs are highly sensitive to DSD. The relative error related to DSD variability reaches up to 40%, which is about two to three times higher value compared to errors by CMLs operated at 15-40 GHz. These errors can be, however, reduced to approx. 20% when distinguishing between stratiform and convective rainfalls and introducing two different parameter sets for attenuation-rainfall relation, accordingly.  The improvement of CML rainfall estimates when adapting parameters of attenuation-rainfall relation is demonstrated on real attenuation data acquired from 4.8 km long E-band CML operated within cellular backhaul in Prague (CZ).</p><p>Variable drop size distribution represents a significant source of uncertainty in rainfall estimates retrieved from E-band CMLs. This uncertainty can be substantially reduced by adapting parameters of attenuation-rainfall model to rainfall type (DSD).</p><p> </p><p>References:</p><p>Berne, A., Uijlenhoet, R., 2007. Path-averaged rainfall estimation using microwave links: Uncertainty due to spatial rainfall variability. <em>Geophys. Res. Lett. 34</em>, L07403. https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL029409</p>

scholarly journals Atmospheric observations with E-band microwave links – challenges and opportunities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Fencl ◽  
Michal Dohnal ◽  
Pavel Valtr ◽  
Martin Grabner ◽  
Vojtěch Bareš
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Drop Size ◽  
Drop Size Distribution ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Vapor Sensing ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Atmospheric Observations ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Microwave Link

Abstract. Opportunistic sensing of rainfall and water vapor using commercial microwave links operated within cellular networks was conceived more than a decade ago. It has since been further investigated in numerous studies predominantly concentrating on the frequency region of 15–40 GHz. This manuscript provides the first evaluation of rainfall and water vapor sensing with microwave links operating at an E band (specifically, 71–76 GHz and 81–86 GHz), which are increasingly updating, and frequently replacing, older communication infrastructure. Attenuation-rainfall relations are investigated theoretically on drop size distribution data. Furthermore, quantitative rainfall estimates from six microwave links, operated within cellular backhaul, are compared with observed rainfall intensities. Finally, the capability to detect water vapor is demonstrated on the longest microwave link measuring 4.86 km in path length. The results show that E-band microwave links are by one order of magnitude more sensitive to rainfall than devices operating in the 15–40 GHz range and are thus able to observe even light rainfalls, a feat practically impossible to achieve previously. The E-band links are, however, substantially more affected by errors related to variable drop size distribution. Water vapor retrieval might be possible from long E band microwave links, nevertheless, the efficient separation of gaseous attenuation from other signal losses will be challenging in practice.

Effects of Radar Beam Shielding on Rainfall Estimation for the Polarimetric C-Band Radar

2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 1839-1859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Friedrich ◽  
Urs Germann ◽  
Jonathan J. Gourley ◽  
Pierre Tabary
Keyword(s):  
Size Distribution ◽  
Drop Size ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Drop Size Distribution ◽  
Rainfall Estimation ◽  
Axis Ratio ◽  
Radar Beam ◽  
Average Rainfall ◽  
Rain Events ◽  
Rainfall Estimates

Abstract Radar reflectivity (Zh), differential reflectivity (Zdr), and specific differential phase (Kdp) measured from the operational, polarimetric weather radar located in Trappes, France, were used to examine the effects of radar beam shielding on rainfall estimation. The objective of this study is to investigate the degree of immunity of Kdp-based rainfall estimates to beam shielding for C-band radar data during four typical rain events encountered in Europe. The rain events include two cold frontal rainbands with average rainfall rates of 7 and 17 mm h−1, respectively, and two summertime convective rain events with average rainfall rates of 11 and 22 mm h−1. The large effects of beam shielding on rainfall accumulation were observed for algorithms using Zh and Zdr with differences of up to ∼2 dB (40%) compared to a Kdp-based algorithm over a power loss range of 0–8 dB. This analysis reveals that Zdr and Kdp are not affected by partial beam shielding. Standard reflectivity corrections based on the degree of beam shielding would have overestimated rainfall rates by up to 1.5 dB for less than 40% beam shielding and up to 3 dB for beam shielding less than 75%. The investigation also examined the sensitivity of beam shielding effects on rainfall rate estimation to (i) axis–ratio parameterization and drop size distribution, (ii) methods used to smooth profiles of differential propagation phase (ϕdp) and estimate Kdp, and (iii) event-to-event variability. Although rainfall estimates were sensitive to drop size distribution and axis–ratio parameterization, differences between Zh- and Kdp-based rainfall rates increased independently from those parameters with amount of shielding. Different approaches to smoothing ϕdp profiles and estimating Kdp were examined and showed little impact on results.

scholarly journals Atmospheric observations with E-band microwave links – challenges and opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6559-6578
Author(s):  
Martin Fencl ◽  
Michal Dohnal ◽  
Pavel Valtr ◽  
Martin Grabner ◽  
Vojtěch Bareš
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Drop Size ◽  
Drop Size Distribution ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Vapor Sensing ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Atmospheric Observations ◽  
Microwave Link ◽  
Distribution Water

Abstract. Opportunistic sensing of rainfall and water vapor using commercial microwave links operated within cellular networks was conceived more than a decade ago. It has since been further investigated in numerous studies, predominantly concentrating on the frequency region of 15–40 GHz. This article provides the first evaluation of rainfall and water vapor sensing with microwave links operating at E-band frequencies (specifically 71–76 and 81–86 GHz). These microwave links are increasingly being updated (and are frequently replacing) older communication infrastructure. Attenuation–rainfall relations are investigated theoretically on drop size distribution data. Furthermore, quantitative rainfall estimates from six microwave links, operated within cellular backhaul, are compared with observed rainfall intensities. Finally, the capability to detect water vapor is demonstrated on the longest microwave link measuring 4.86 km in path length. The results show that E-band microwave links are markedly more sensitive to rainfall than devices operating in the 15–40 GHz range and can observe even light rainfalls, a feat practically impossible to achieve previously. The E-band links are, however, substantially more affected by errors related to variable drop size distribution. Water vapor retrieval might be possible from long E-band microwave links; nevertheless, the efficient separation of gaseous attenuation from other signal losses will be challenging in practice.

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