Radar rainfall estimation technique when attenuation is negligible

Abstract

The invention provides a method of using a bipolar radar to estimate a precipitation rate for rain that generates negligible attenuation, the method being constituted by the following steps: using said bipolar radar to measure the differential phase ΦDP and the apparent reflectivity Ze on at least one of horizontal polarization H and vertical polarization V over a given interval [r0, r1] of path radii relative to said radar; making an estimate of the value N0* representative of the dimensional distribution of rain drops on the basis of the differential phase difference in the range r0 to r1 and on the basis of an integral of a function of the apparent reflectivity Ze along the interval [r0, r1]; and deducing a value for the precipitation rate at a point from N0* and the apparent reflectivity at said point.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.