Adaptively Pointing Spaceborne Radar for Precipitation Measurements

Abstract

Mutually conflicting observational requirements such as high resolution, large-scan swath width, high-scan speed, and adequate signal dwell time have restricted the development of spaceborne meteorological radar from the measurement of precipitation. The approach suggested here, which involves adaptive sampling by the radar only in regions likely to be occupied by precipitation as seen by a forward-looking passive imager, appears to overcome these long-standing obstacles.