Estimation of Transmitted Differential Phase on Dual-Polarization Radars Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology

A measurement procedure to determine transmitted differential phase between horizontally and vertically polarized radiation of a dual-polarization radar is presented. It is applicable to radars that transmit and receive simultaneously horizontally and vertically (SHV) polarized waves. The method relies solely on weather data with no instrument intrusions whatsoever. It takes data at vertical incidence while the antenna rotates in azimuth. That way, a large number of samples is collected to reduce statistical errors in estimates. The theory indicates that the transmitted differential phase appears prominently in the backscatter signals off the melting layer. That and relations between various elements of the backscattering matrix are used to derive a set of nonlinear equations whereby the differential phase on transmission is one of the unknowns. Steps for solving these equations are presented as well as a demonstration of the results on radar data. A simplified algorithm that bypasses the coupled nonlinear equations is exposed. Conditions under which the simplification can be applied are presented. These restrict the range of the transmitted differential phase for which the simplified procedure may be applied.