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Access Type

Open Access

Document Type

thesis

Degree Program

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Degree Type

Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (M.S.E.C.E.)

Year Degree Awarded

2010

Month Degree Awarded

February

Keywords

Radar, Calibration, Dual-Wavelength Ratio, Snow

Abstract

The Advanced Multi-Frequency Radar is a three-frequency system designed and built by the University of Massachusetts Microwave Remote Sensing Lab (MIRSL). The radar has three frequencies, Ku-band (13.4 GHz), Ka-band (35.6 GHz), and W-band (94.92GHz). The additional information gained from additional frequencies allows the system to be sensitive to a wide range of atmospheric and precipitation particle sizes, while increasing the ability to derive particle microphysics from radar retrievals.

This thesis details the calibration of data from the Canadian CloudSat/CALIPSO Validation Project (C3VP) held during January 2007 in Ontario, Canada. The calibration used internal calibration path data and was confirmed through comparison of precipitation reflectivity with an Environment Canada radar.

The calibrated data was then used to estimate the median mass diameter of precipitating snow from a high-priority C3VP data set. This median mass diameter retrieval was compared to the results from a local ground instrument, the Snow Video Imager (SVI), showing good agreement.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/1071229

First Advisor

Paul R. Siqueira

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