Airborne and Ground Measurements of a Compact Multifrequency Cloud and Precipitation Radar

Space-based atmospheric radars are indispensable instruments for detecting and tracking weather processes and have enabled significant advancements in weather forecast and climate surveillance. The use of millimetre-wave technology for atmospheric radars has been gaining interest over the years thanks to the research and development of critical components that have made them available at higher frequencies with state-of-the-art performance [1]. When frequency is increased to the millimetre-wave range, the wavelength of the transmitted signal becomes comparable to the size of hydrometeors in rain and clouds. This permits the characterization of diverse weather phenomena, such as precipitation and cloud formation and evolution, with better accuracy and resolution than ever before. On top of that, weather structures possess different and identifiable absorption and scattering properties that make them to interact differently with a radar’s transmitted signal depending on its frequency [2].