New approach for predicting vertical refractivity profile in low troposphere in a subtropical region

This paper presents a new approach to predict the upper refractivity, N_h, at the first 100 m of atmosphere above the ground from the available surface data through the analysis of the wet and dry components using the ITU exponential model. The vertical refractivity gradient, ΔN, in this critical atmospheric layer is statistically analysed. Around seventeen years of local radiosonde meteorological data, from Jan. 1997 to Oct. 2013, are used for the study. Average monthly distribution of ΔN and is provided.