Simulation and Interpretation of the Phase Data Used by the Radar Refractivity Retrieval Algorithm

Abstract

The radar refractivity retrieval algorithm applied to radar phase measurements from ground targets can provide high-resolution, near-surface moisture estimates in time and space. The reliability of the retrieval depends on the quality of the returned phase measurements, which are affected by factors such as 1) the vertical variation of the refractive index along the ray path and 2) the properties of illuminated ground targets (e.g., the height and shape of the targets intercepted by radar rays over complex terrain). These factors introduce ambiguities in the phase measurement that have not yet been considered in the refractivity algorithm and that hamper its performance. A phase measurement simulator was designed to better understand the effect of these factors. The results from the simulation were compared with observed phase measurements for selected atmospheric propagation conditions estimated from low-level radio sounding profiles. Changes in the vertical gradient of refractivity coupled with the varying heights of targets are shown to have some influence on the variability of phase fields. However, they do not fully explain the noisiness of the real phase observations because other factors that are not included in the simulation, such as moving ground targets, affect the noisiness of phase measurements.