Attenuation correction for C-band radars using differential reflectivity

For a long time, radars have been used extensively for both meteorological and hydrological applications, including remote-sensing of rainfall, warning of severe weather and flash flood prediction. Today, most weather radars installed in European countries operate at C-band, mainly to reduce costs. However, at this frequency, the advantage is often offset by the effect of attenuation caused by the intervening rainfall. An improved method to correct attenuation using reflectivity (Z_H) and differential reflectivity (Z_DR ) is developed and described. The technique relies on the fact that, for an exponential raindrop size distribution, the measured Z_DR results in an overestimated median drop diameter (D₀ ), whereas the measured Z_H yields a under-estimated N ₀. The estimated (N₀D₀) pair can then be used to obtained attenuation parameters which are close to those that would have been derived from true Z_H/Z_DR values