Accurate rain estimation from radar measurements has been a difficult task due to the variation of raindrop size distribution (DSD), lack of accurate axis ratio model, measurement error, clutter, and so forth. Previously, rain estimation from weather radars has been largely dependent upon empirical relations such as R-Z relations. The development of polarimetric radar makes accurate rain DSD re...

Realistic modeling of infiltration, runoff and erosion processes from watersheds requires estimation of the effective hydraulic conductivity (Km) of the hillslope soils and how it varies with soil tilth, depth and cover conditions. Field rainfall simulation (RS) plot studies provide an opportunity to assess the surface soil hydraulic and erodibility conditions, but a standardized interpretation...

Satellite remote sensing of rain is important for quantifying the hydrological cycle, atmospheric energy budget, and cloud and precipitation processes; however, radar retrievals of rain rate are sensitive to assumptions about the raindrop size distribution. The upcoming EarthCARE satellite will feature a 94 GHz Doppler radar alongside lidar and radiometer instruments, presenting opportunities f...

The primary mission of the SeaWinds scatterometer on the QuikSCAT satellite is to infer surface wind vector from ocean backscatter measurements. Occasionally the backscatter measurements are contaminated by the presence of rain; therefore a reliable method of identifying rain is needed. Fortunately, the SeaWinds scatterometer simultaneously obtains active (scattering) and passive (emission) mea...

Rain over the oceans causes attenuation of communication and radar signals for satellites and backscatter to satellite radars. To determine the attenuation and backscatter, one must know the height of the rain in a storm, and must be able to find it from a satellite measurement likely to be available. Microwave radiometers on satellites can provide estimates of rain rates, and therefore relatin...

Since many years Doppler radar profilers are known as valuable tools to retrieve profiles of rain rate and further rain parameters (e.g. Wakasugi et al. (1986)). Applying well established relations for terminal fall velocity, shape and backscatter cross section of rain drops allows to derive rain rate without empirical assumptions. For calculating the backscatter cross section, the flattening o...

Statistics of 1 minute rain rate has a major impact in the design of satellite communication systems at frequencies above 10 GHz. The effect of rain causes serious degradation of radio signals at frequencies above about 10 GHz; therefore, models for the prediction of statistics of excess path attenuation needed for the design of communication propagation paths requires a statistical description...