Phased Array Radar Polarimetry for Weather Sensing: A Theoretical Formulation for Bias Corrections

It is becoming widely accepted that radar polarimetry provides accurate and informative weather measurements, while phased-array technology can shorten data updating time. In this paper, a theory of phased array radar (PAR) polarimetry is developed to establish the relation between electric fields a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on geoscience and remote sensing 2009-11, Vol.47 (11), p.3679-3689
Main Authors: Guifu Zhang, Doviak, R.J., Zrnic, D.S., Crain, J., Staiman, D., Al-Rashid, Y.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antenna arrays
Antenna measurements
Antenna theory
Applied geophysics
Atmospheric measurements
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Internal geophysics
Phase measurement
phased array radar (PAR)
Phased arrays
polarimetry
Radar antennas
Radar polarimetry
Radar scattering
Radar theory
remote sensing
scattering
Time measurement
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Summary:It is becoming widely accepted that radar polarimetry provides accurate and informative weather measurements, while phased-array technology can shorten data updating time. In this paper, a theory of phased array radar (PAR) polarimetry is developed to establish the relation between electric fields at the antenna of the PAR and the fields in a resolution volume filled with hydrometeors. It is shown that polarimetric measurements with an electronically steered beam can cause measurement biases that are comparable to or even larger than the intrinsic polarimetric characteristics of hydrometeors. However, these biases are correctable if the transmitted electric fields are known. A correction to the measured scattering matrix that removes biases in meteorological variables is derived. The challenges and opportunities for weather sensing with a polarimetric PAR are discussed.
ISSN:0196-2892
1558-0644
DOI:10.1109/TGRS.2009.2029332