Polarimetric radar applications in meteorology

Theoretical and experimental techniques for polarimetric radars capable of identifying meteorological targets are discussed. It is found that, in general, polarimetric radar measurements as determined, for example, from the coherency matrix measurements, at two polarization bases such as circular and linear polarization, will provide enough polarization information to characterize meteorological targets, for example, the determination of optimal polarization. However, in order to exploit fully the possibilities available with polarization and correlation techniques, accurate data will be needed. For that, stringent system requirements such as antennas and microwave circuits with high polarization performance, high-speed data acquisition, and accurate calibration techniques will be needed.<>