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A relationship between rain radar reflectivity and height elevation variance of ringwaves due to the impact of rain on the sea surface
Author(s) -
Sobieski P.,
Craeye C.,
Bliven L. F.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
radio science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1944-799X
pISSN - 0048-6604
DOI - 10.1029/2008rs003880
Subject(s) - radar , surface roughness , environmental science , drop (telecommunication) , elevation angle , surface finish , elevation (ballistics) , meteorology , scattering , nadir , remote sensing , atmospheric sciences , geology , optics , materials science , physics , mathematics , geometry , azimuth , telecommunications , satellite , astronomy , computer science , composite material
Raindrops impacting the rough sea modify its surface and its backscattering coefficient. This roughness change essentially depends on the rain content in very large drops, which is highly variable from one drop size distribution model to another. However, it has been observed that the radar reflectivity of raindrops has a drop size dependence very similar to that of the ringwaves induced by rain on the surface. From a numerical analysis on various drop size distributions, rain rates, and frequencies from 3 to 35 GHz, a relationship between the sea surface elevation variance of ringwaves resulting from drop impact and the rain radar reflectivity Z is established. It is found to be weakly dependent on the raindrop size distribution model. This link is expected to lead to better estimates of the surface roughness, and in turn, via electromagnetic scattering models, it could improve algorithms for near nadir rain radar retrieval.