An Analysis of Depolarization of Circular Polarization in S-Band Radar Sensing of Alberta Storms

Abstract

An analysis is given of storm events in 1982?85 in which the Alberta Research Council circularly polarized polarization diversity S-band radar recorded data indicating significant depolarization. The accompanying two-way differential propagation phase reached more than 360° on one occasion. It is shown that the effects of propagation can be largely negated by use of the differential propagation phase. Thus, the reception of the orthogonal circular components of the return field when a single polarization is transmitted enables the polarization parameters to be deduced, but if only a single component of the return field is measured, serious errors can occur in the measurement of reflectivity in the shadow of heavy rain.