A simulation study of adaptive scan for next-generation spaceborne precipitation radar

The adaptive scan technique is a potential approach to improve the measurement accuracy in spaceborne rain radar measurement. In this paper, we describe the outline of adaptive scan technique using a wide-band random phase modulation for surface observation in no-rain areas and its performance through a simulation using TRMM PR data. We also present the dependence of effective SNR improvement in rain observation using the adaptive scan on various rainfall types, and on other rainfall parameters. Based on these studies, we discuss the usefulness of adaptive scan for the next-generation spaceborne precipitation radar.