Simulation of radar with a knife-like antenna beam using precipitation radar data

Abstract

The concept of radar using a knife-like antenna beam is discussed and compared with precipitation radar (PR). An example of PR data processing is given. Two approaches are used to retrieve variance of slope: point-to-point algorithms and a linear angular algorithm. The algorithm for the PR data transformation into data of radar with a knife-like antenna beam has been developed. Transformation of real satellite data into data of radar with a knife-like antenna beam enables one for the first time to simulate measurements of future space radar qualitatively. Transformed data are used to validate the retrieval algorithms developed for radar with a knife-like antenna beam. Numerical simulation is also used to test the retrieval algorithms. The noise effect on the precision of slope variance retrieval for the PR and radar with a knife-like antenna beam is considered. Data processing confirms that the precision of radar with a knife-like antenna beam is significantly higher than the precision of PR. Numerical simulation is also used to explore the possibility of sea-surface slope imaging. The obtained results confirm that only radar with a knife-like antenna beam can be employed to retrieve real images of the processes occurring on sea-surface slopes.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Russian Foundation of Basic Research (grants 13-05-00852-a, 13-05-97029-rpa), a grant from the Government of the Russian Federation under contract No. 11.G34.31.0048, and the China National Natural Science Foundation (grants-41076119).