Processing of high-resolution multiparametric radar data for the Airborne Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar APR-2

Simone Tanelli; Jonathan P. Meagher; Stephen L. Durden; Eastwood Im

doi:10.1117/12.579015

22 December 2004 Processing of high-resolution multiparametric radar data for the Airborne Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar APR-2

Simone Tanelli, Jonathan P. Meagher, Stephen L. Durden, Eastwood Im

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5654, Microwave Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere and Environment IV; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.579015
Event: Fourth International Asia-Pacific Environmental Remote Sensing Symposium 2004: Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere, Ocean, Environment, and Space, 2004, Honolulu, Hawai'i, United States

Abstract

Following the successful Precipitation Radar (PR) of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission1, a new airborne, 14/35 GHz rain profiling radar, known as Airborne Precipitation Radar - 2 (APR-2)2, has been developed as a prototype for an advanced, dual-frequency spaceborne radar for a future spaceborne precipitation measurement mission3. This airborne instrument is capable of making simultaneous measurements of rainfall parameters, including co-pol and cross-pol rain reflectivities and vertical Doppler velocities, at 14 and 35 GHz. Furthermore, it also features several advanced technologies for performance improvement, including real-time data processing, low-sidelobe dual-frequency pulse compression, and dual-frequency scanning antenna. Since August 2001, APR-2 has been deployed on the NASA P3 and DC8 aircrafts in four experiments including CAMEX-4 and the Wakasa Bay Experiment. Raw radar data are first processed to obtain reflectivity, LDR (linear depolarization ratio), and Doppler velocity measurements. The dataset is then processed iteratively to accurately estimate the true aircraft navigation parameters and to classify the surface return. These intermediate products are then used to refine reflectivity and LDR calibrations (by analyzing clear air ocean surface returns), and to correct Doppler measurements for the aircraft motion. Finally, the melting layer of precipitation is detected and its boundaries and characteristics are identified at the APR-2 range resolution of 30m. The resulting 3D dataset will be used for validation of other airborne and spaceborne instruments, development of multiparametric rain/snow retrieval algorithms and melting layer characterization and statistics. In this paper the processing approach is described in detail together with an overview of the resulting data quality and known issues.

Citation Download Citation

Simone Tanelli, Jonathan P. Meagher, Stephen L. Durden, and Eastwood Im "Processing of high-resolution multiparametric radar data for the Airborne Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar APR-2", Proc. SPIE 5654, Microwave Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere and Environment IV, (22 December 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.579015

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