The influence of heavy rainfall on attenuation at 18.5 and 30.9 GHz

Percent-of-time distributions of rain-induced fades obtained on a 6.4-km path in New Jersey operating at a frequency of 18.5 GHz are discussed for the period of 1968-1969; data obtained at 30.9 GHz on a 1.9-km path for the same period are also discussed. The attenuation distributions are compared with attenuations calculated from the distributions of average rain rates on the paths. With these data, it is found that distributions of attenuation can be predicted from the path-average rain-rate distributions for a given sample period. Detailed rain-rate and attenuation measurements at 18.5 GHz on the 6.4-km path are presented for the most intense storm observed in a three year recording period. Point rain rates in excess of 250 mm/h and path-average rates exceeding 180 mm/h were observed; the attenuation exceeded the 50-dB dynamic measuring range of the equipment for more than seven minutes.     

Performance Estimation for 15-GHz Microwave Links as a Function of Rain Attenuation

In this concise paper we present a method to estimate the performance of wide-band 15-GHz microwave line-of-sight communication links as a function of precipitation statistics, given specific fade margins derived from equipment and path parameters. The method is based on the use of theoretical or measured rain attenuation rates, statistics of surface point rainfall rates, and relations between point and path-average rainfall rates derived from measurements in Florida. Results in terms of total path attenuation or maximum usable path lengths for given performance criteria can vary widely depending on the data base used; they are particularly sensitive to the attenuation rate model used and to the rain climate. As a practical matter, the analysis shows that path lengths up to about 30 km for line-line-of-sight links (with adequate terrain clearance) may be usable in climates characterized by moderate rainfall amounts (such as central Europe) even if relatively pessimistic assumptions are made regarding rain attenuation rates.     

Absorption mode for e.l.f. electromagnetic propagation in the Earth-crust waveguide

Using a highly idealised 3-layer model of the Earth's crust, it is shown that the modes of propagation fall into two classes. The conventional type leads to attenuation rates greater than the intrinsic attenuation rate for plane waves in the medium of lowest conductivity. The other type of solution leads to attenuation rates that are anomalously low. It is shown that this mode of propagation corresponds to a condition of complete absorption of an inhomogeneous plane wave incident from below the waveguide. To excite this absorption mode, we would need an aperture of infinite extent!     

Fade rates at 13 GHz on Earth-space paths

Fade rate distributions for 13 GHz signals on Earth-space paths have been compiled from the equivalent of 15 station-years of radiometer data that were recorded in Canada. Fade rates of up to 0.42 dB per second were found with the high fade rates tending to occur when the attenuation was also high. As with attenuation statistics, fade rate statistics for Earth-space paths are determined mainly by the climate that is local to the ground station.     

Measurements of rainfall attenuation at 8 and 15 GHz

Measurements of attenuation at frequencies of 8 and 15 GHz, and their correlation with rainfall rate, along a 15.78 km path near Ottawa, are described. Empirical expressions which relate the observed attenuation to the measured rainfall rate are derived and compared with similar expressions obtained on the basis of earlier theoretical studies of the problem. It is concluded that while the theoretical predictions of attenuation in rain are reasonably satisfactory, at least for rains observed at Ottawa, there is a definite tendency for observed attenuations at low rainfall rates to be somewhat higher than the expected values. The cumulative distribution of rainfall attenuation over a six-month period is compared with the attenuation predicted on the basis of average rainfall data obtained during the last five years. Although the agreement between observation and prediction, using the theoretical relation between rainfall rate and attenuation, is good for path attenuations greater than 2 dB, it can be greatly improved if the empirical expression relating rainfall rate to attenuation is used.     

Dependence of rain attenuation and cross-polarization on drop size distribution

Attenuation and cross-polarization due to precipitation are calculated for five drop size distribution functions, namely Laws-Parsons, Marshall-Palmer, Joss drizzle, Joss thunderstorm, and a renormalization of the latter. Propagation paths from the Communications Technology Satellite (CTS) and Comstar D1 synchronous satellites to Ottawa are considered. Clear weather antenna isolation effects are included in the results. We find that various drop size distributions introduce substantial deviations only in the attenuation versus rain rate curves. A proper normalization of the Joss thunderstorm model is important for attenuation. The deviations are much less in the crosspolarization versus attenuation plots, which are close together for all five drop size distributions. This is so even for the thunderstorm model at 28.56 GHz of Comstar D1, where the differential phase per unit length is decreasing at high rain rates. Unexpectedly, it is also found that for attenuation values not too large, the thunderstorm model provides less depolarization for a given attenuation as compared wth the other models.     

Étude de l’affaiblissement de propagation à 13 GHz dû aux précipitations tropicales

Measurements of rainfall rates and attenuation due to rain at 13 GHz have been carried out in Ivory Coast during copt 81 experiment in May and June 81. Rainfall attenuation distributions for horizontal and vertical polarizations and rain rate distributions along the path are presented. Values of differential attenuation and specific attenuation are derived from experimental data as a function of rain rate. Some rain attenuation prediction models are tested against our experimental data at 13 GHz on a 19,2 km path length.     

Extrapolating near-field emissions of low-frequency loop transmitters

This paper investigates the emission of fields and field attenuation rates from electrically small transmitting loop antennas in the presence of a general half-space. Considerations are made for the practical effects of antenna loop dimension and source-to-sensor impedance coupling. The resulting field attenuation rates correlate well with open area test site (OATS) measurements. The tables provided may be readily used to extrapolate measured low-frequency emissions to common regulatory limit locations.     

Backscatter and attenuation by falling snow and rain at 96, 140,and 225 GHz

The results of measurements are presented for backscatter cross section per unit volume and attenuation for falling snow and rain at 96, 140, and 225 GHz. The attenuation due to rain is almost independent of the measurement frequency, but for snow the attenuation is considerably greater at 225 GHz than at 96 GHz. The rain attenuation generally varies with the rain accumulation rate in accordance with an aR^b relationship for a Laws and Parsons drop-size distribution where R is the rain rate and a and b are constants. The attenuation at all three frequencies is about 3 dB/km for a rain rate of 4 mm/h. The attenuation due to snow varies with airborne snow-mass concentration, with the average rates of increase being 0.9, 2.5, and 8.7 (dB/km)(g/m³) at 96, 140, and 225 GHz, respectively. Generally the attenuation for snow is lower than that for rain. The backscatter cross section per unit volume for rain at 96 GHz is about -35 dB m²/m³ for a rain rate of 4 mm/h. The backscatter from snow at 96 GHz is much lower than that from rain under equivalent accumulation rates or airborne mass concentrations. Snow backscatter at 140 GHz is comparable but higher than that at 96 GHz     

Modelling of Drop Size Distribution of Rain from Rain Rate and Attenuation Measurements at Millimeter and Optical Wavelengths

This paper describes a technique for modelling of rain drop size distributions at Calcutta in terms of negative exponential function, from the measurements of rain rate and attenuation over a dual wavelength LOS link at millimeter and optical frequencies. The DSD model obtained is then used to determine the attenuation at 94 GHz, for comparison with experimentally obtained attenuation at 94 GHz. This is also compared with the attenuation calculated by considering other experimentally obtained DSD models. The best fit negative exponential distribution function (modified M-P model) is presented along with some other experimentally obtained and reference models.     

Attenuation of Centimetre, Millimetre and Sub-Millimetre Waves Due to Rain Over Tropical Indian Stations

The results on attenuation of the radio wave due to rain at frequencies lying in the centimetre, millimetre and submillimetre wave bands for different rain rates over three Indian tropical stations are presented in this paper. The study is possible due to the availability of the rainfall rates measured by rapid response rain gauges and rain height over these stations. The results on attenuation were deduced by taking both 0° C isotherm height and effective height. The Stutzman and Dishman model with γ -value of 0.033 which is found suitable for the estimation of rain attenuation over the Indian stations has been critically examined in comparison with the attenuations deduced from CCIR (presently known as ITU-R) method.     

Determination of Rain Rate from a Spaceborne Radar Using Measurements of Total Attenuation

Several experimental and theoretical studies have shown that path-integrated rain rates can be determined by means of a direct measurement of attenuation. For ground-based radars, this is done by measuring the backscattering cross section of a fixed target in the presence and absence of rain along the radar beam. A ratio of the two measurements yields a factor proportional to the attenuation from which the average rain rate can be deduced. In this paper, we extend the technique to spaceborne radars by choosing the ground as a reference target. The technique is also generalized so that both the average and range-profiled rain rates can be determined. The accuracies of the resulting estimates are evaluated for a narrow-beam radar located on a low earth-orbiting satellite.     

Tropical raindrop size distribution for the prediction of rainattenuation of microwaves in the 10-40 GHz band

This paper describes the measurement of microwave rain attenuation over a ten-year period (1988-1998) in Singapore. The rain attenuation of (vertically and horizontally polarized) microwaves at 15, 21, and 38 GHz propagating over a path length of approximately 1.1 km were recorded. A negative-exponential raindrop size distribution model is then developed by fitting of the experimental data with the total extinction cross sections of oblate spheroidal raindrops computed from the T-matrix approach. Graphs for attenuation versus rain rate (at selected frequencies) and for attenuation versus frequency (at selected rain rates) are also given     

Rain attenuation measurements over New Delhi with a microwave radiometer at 11 GHz

Rain attenuation measurements over New Delhi carried out with a microwave radiometer installed at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), New Delhi and operating on 11 GHz for a period of more than three years are presented. For 0.01 percent of time for the period June 1977-April 1978, the attenuation exceeded for the monsoon period is 14.0 dB whereas for the whole year, it exceeds 10.4 dB. During the winter for the same percentage of time, the attenuation exceeded 1.5 dB, whereas for March-April it exceeds 0.5 dB. For the period May 1978-June 1980, it is observed that for 0.01 percent of time the attenuation for the whole year exceeds 9.0 dB. During the winter for the same percentage of time, the attenuation exceeds 1.4 dB whereas for March-April it exceeds 0.4 dB. A comparison of attenuation over New Delhi and those reported elsewhere are discussed. Yearly and worst month time ratio over New Delhi are given also as the values reported for the European region. Comparison of the attenuation distribution and the rate of surface rainfall measured with a rapid-response rain gauge are also given. The comparison shows that for the monsoon period and for 0.01 percent of time, the attenuation value exceeded for 14 dB corresponds to the surface rainfall rate of 140 mm/h. For the monsoon of 1978, 1979, comparison shows that for 0.1 percent of time, the attenuation value exceeded for 9.0 dB corresponds to the surface rainfall rate of 90 mm/h. Variation of attenuation and effective path length for various rainfall rates and elevation angles are also given.     

Modified rain attenuation model for tropical regions for Ku‐Band signals

Attenuation measurement on Ku‐ band satellite signal in a tropical site, Fiji is presented. Rain‐attenuation prediction by ITU‐R and the Crane Global models showed noticeable deviation to the measured values. Unlike the monotonic decrease predicted by these models, exceedance of rain‐rate and attenuation in Fiji and other tropical regions showed the presence of breakpoints. For Suva, the breakpoint in rain‐rate and attenuation were at 58 mm/h and 9.4 dB with exceedances of 0.009 and 0.018%, respectively. Modifications to the ITU‐R model are proposed in this paper, for adopting it in the tropics. These modifications are based on the properties that in the tropics (i) the accumulation time factor at the breakpoints is an invariant (ii) for elevation angles <60° and at high rain rates multiple rain cells intersect the slant path. The attenuation exceedance is predicted by two expressions similar to the ITU‐R model, one for rain‐rates lower than the breakpoint rain‐rate and the other above it. The modified prediction model show remarkable agreement with the measured Ku‐band attenuation in seven tropical sites. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rain-induced attenuation effects on C-banddual-polarization meteorological radars

An attenuation correction procedure is proposed and evaluated by simulations using raindrop size distribution obtained from ground-based disdrometer measurements. The results show that under certain conditions it is possible to retrieve C-band reflectivity factor (Z _H) and differential reflectivity (Z_DR) radar observables affected by attenuation along rain-filled propagation paths. Rainfall rates estimated from Z _H and Z_DR with and without attenuation correction are compared to determine the effects of attenuation and the capability of the correction procedure to account for it     

Statistics of rain rates,some worst-month considerations

Monthly statistics and worst-month data of rain rates, obtained from 6 years of raingauge data, are presented. The data base consists of 331 monthly cumulative distributions of rain rates. Worst-month data of 15 GHz rain attenuation, which were derived from 3 years of measurement on a 12.4 km link are compared to those of rain rates obtained in the same period and location.     

Earth?space rain-cell modelling through SIRIO propagation data

The SIRIO absolute and differential attenuation data at 11.6 GHz are analysed for rain-cell modelling using uniform effective rain rates and cell depths. These parameters show marginal log-normal distributions. The model is then checked against the SIRIO 17 GHz attenuation data, also available, showing high prediction accuracy.     

Analysis of algorithms for the retrieval of rain-rate profiles froma spaceborne dual-wavelength radar

The ability to retrieve rain-rate profiles from a dual-wavelength spaceborne radar system operating at 13.6 and 35 GHz is analyzed. The fundamental problem of extracting either the attenuation and/or the reflectivity from the backscatter echo, which contains both contributions, is addressed. Three algorithms, the backscatter, the attenuation coefficient, and the dual-wavelength methods, are examined. These algorithms are tested using four rain-rate profiles derived from radar measurements. In particular, measured (true) values are compared with calculated (retrieved) rain rates applying the algorithms with superimposed uncertainties assuming a suggested spaceborne dual-wavelength radar system. Error values of rain rates are determined where these values reflect failure of the assumptions utilized in the derivation of the algorithms, rain backscatter noise, and instrument noise     

Rain attenuation measurements over terrestrial microwave links operating at 15 GHz in Malaysia

This paper presents the experimental results of rain rate and rain attenuation measurements on six terrestrial microwave links in tropical Malaysia. The rain attenuation data were collected from six DIGI MINI‐LINKs (DiGi Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia, Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia) operating at 15 GHz with 99.95 % availability. The experimental results were compared with the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU‐R) method and other existing rain attenuation prediction models. The main focus is on the ITU‐R prediction method, which underestimates the measured rain attenuation, more especially at extremely higher rain rates. The relationship between ITU‐R prediction errors and rainfall rates was studied, and it is shown that the two quantities are related by a quadratic function. The study will provide useful information on the design and planning of terrestrial radio links in Malaysia and similar tropical environments. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.