This study examines differences in the normalized radar cross section, derived from ground-based versus spaceborne radar data. A simple homogeneous half-space model, indicates that agreement between the two improves as 1) the distance from the scatterer is increased; and/or 2) the extinction coefficient increases.

In airborne and spaceborne radar remote sensing of clouds and precipitation, measurements of the sea surface normalized radar cross section σ are widely used to constrain and condition algorithms for the retrieval of atmospheric parameters. In the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, the Path Integrated Attenuation (PIA) of the Ku-band Preciptitation Radar (PR) are estimated by comparing the su...

A method for estimating the near-surface wind vector over water using the airborne weather radar in addition to its standard navigational application is discussed. A case of an airplane rectilinear flight over the water surface is considered. The radar operates in the ground-mapping mode in the range of middle incidence angles as a scatterometer. Wind vector is recovered from the azimuth normal...

The primary science instrument of the CloudSat Mission is the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR). The CPR is a W-band (94 GHz) nadir looking radar (e.g. Tanelli, 2008) with the purpose of measuring backscattered power from hydrometeors (clouds and precipitation). Although the CPR contains an internal calibration system, external calibration using geophysical sources with known normalized radar cross-s...