Improvements to a range profiling algorithm proposed for spaceborne rain-radar

A range profiling method proposed for nadir-looking rain-radar has been investigated using aircraft measurements of typhoon at 10 GHz and 35 GHz. In order to take into account the effects of change in the hydrometeor phase along the radar beam, it was necessary to modify the original method. Instead of using an analytic expression for the retrieval of radar reflectivity, a numerical solution is described which enables one to include such effects as the melting layer contribution and temperature change in the rain. Results show a marked improvement in the estimated rainfall rates even when a fairly simple bright band model is used. The improvement occurs mainly in the retrieved Ka-band results and indicates the importance of the melting layer, particularly for high frequencies