Microwave and millimeter-wave attenuation in sand and dust storms

The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and the turning bands method are used to calculate the wave attenuation in sand and dust storms at microwave and millimeter-wave. The proposed formula shows that wave attenuation in sand and dust storms depends on the visibility, frequency, sand and dust particle radius, and on complex relative permittivity. Obtained results of the wave attenuation are also compared with those obtained by four other methods: the effective material property technique, the Rayleigh scattering approximation, the measured probability density function and Mie scattering theory, and the volumetric integration of Mie scattering results by individual particles. It is found that our formula produces a mean value of wave attenuation among these five formulas.