Abstract
Direct measurements of attenuation due to liquid water content (LWC) between two points in the common beam of a dual-wavelength radar system will be possible using a real-time digital processor of radar signals presently under construction. Precise measurements of attenuation are possible since accurate absolute calibration of the radars is not required. A resolution of 0.65 dB km−1 is possible in contiguous kilometer sections along the beam axis with an average over 32 independent values of echo power. In terms of LWC this is a resolution of ∼2 mg m−3 of precipitation using a new relation
MA0.787
where M is the liquid water content (gm m−2) and A the attenuation rate (dB km−1) along the common beam.
