Recent Progress in Dual-Polarization Radar Research and Applications in China

Dual-polarization(dual-pol)radar can measure additional parameters that provide more microphysical information of precipitation systems than those provided by conventional Doppler radar.The dual-pol parameters have been successfully utilized to investigate precipitation microphysics and improve radar quantitative precipitation estimation(QPE).The recent progress in dual-pol radar research and applications in China is summarized in four aspects.Firstly,the characteristics of several representative dual-pol radars are reviewed.Various approaches have been developed for radar data quality control,including calibration,attenuation correction,calculation of specific differential phase shift,and identification and removal of non-meteorological echoes.Using dual-pol radar measurements,the microphysical characteristics derived from raindrop size distribution retrieval,hydrometeor classification,and QPE is better understood in China.The limited number of studies in China that have sought to use dual-pol radar data to validate the microphysical parameterization and initialization of numerical models and assimilate dual-pol data into numerical models are summarized.The challenges of applying dual-pol data in numerical models and emerging technologies that may make significant impacts on the field of radar meteorology are discussed.

Reliability of X-band Dual-polarization Phased Array Radars Through Comparison with an S-band Dual-polarization Doppler Radar

Based on the observations of a squall line on 11 May 2020 and stratiform precipitation on 6 June 2020 from two X-band dual-polarization phased array weather radars(DP-PAWRs)and an S-band dual-polarization Doppler weather radar(CINRAD/SA-D),the data reliability of DP-PAWR and its ability to detect the fine structures of mesoscale weather systems were assessed.After location matching,the observations of DP-PAWR and CINRAD/SA-D were compared in terms of reflectivity(Z_(H)),radial velocity(V),differential reflectivity(Z_(DR)),and specific differential phase(K_(DP)).The results showed that:(1)DP-PAWR has better ability to detect mesoscale weather systems than CINRAD/SAD;the multi-elevation-angles scanning of the RHI mode enables DP-PAWR to obtain a wider detection range in the vertical direction.(2)DP-PAWR’s Z_(H)and V structures are acceptable,while its sensitivity is worse than that of CINRAD/SA-D.The Z H suffers from attenuation and the Z_(H)area distribution is distorted around strong rainfall regions.(3)DP-PAWR’s Z_(DR)is close to a normal distribution but slightly smaller than that of CINRAD/SA-D.The K_(DP)products of DP-PAWR have much higher sensitivity,showing a better indication of precipitation.(4)DP-PAWR is capable of revealing a detailed and complete structure of the evolution of the whole storm and the characteristics of particle phase variations during the process of triggering and enhancement of a small cell in the front of a squall line,as well as the merging of the cell with the squall line,which cannot be observed by CINRAD/SA-D.With its fast volume scan feature and dual-polarization detection capability,DP-PAWR shows great potential in further understanding the development and evolution mechanisms of meso-γ-scale and microscale weather systems.

Identification and Removal of Non-meteorological Echoes in Dual-polarization Radar Data Based on a Fuzzy Logic Algorithm

A major issue in radar quantitative precipitation estimation is the contamination of radar echoes by non-meteorological targets such as ground clutter,chaff,clear air echoes etc.In this study,a fuzzy logic algorithm for the identification of non-meteorological echoes is developed using optimized membership functions and weights for the dual-polarization radar located at Mount Sobaek.For selected precipitation and non-meteorological events,the characteristics of the precipitation and non-meteorological echo are derived by the probability density functions of five fuzzy parameters as functions of reflectivity values.The membership functions and weights are then determined by these density functions.Finally,the nonmeteorological echoes are identified by combining the membership functions and weights.The performance is qualitatively evaluated by long-term rain accumulation.The detection accuracy of the fuzzy logic algorithm is calculated using the probability of detection（POD）,false alarm rate（FAR）,and clutter–signal ratio（CSR）.In addition,the issues in using filtered dual-polarization data are alleviated.

Experimental Research of Dual-Polarization Passive Radar Based on DTTB Signal

The passive radar is a hot research topic. A multi-channel wideband passive radar experimental system is designed and the digital television terrestrial broadcasting (DTTB) signal is chosen to carry out the target detection experiment of civil aviation aircraft. The polarization and spatial filtering methods are used to solve the strong direct path interference suppression problems brought by the receiving system location;combined with the characteristics of DTTB signal, the block length selection interval in the block batch processing method for range-Doppler images calculation is given;the clutter suppression performance is compared through the experimental data receiving from different bistatic polarization channels, the conclusion is different from the monostatic radar and it can guide the passive radar experiment.

Rapid-Scan and Polarimetric Phased-Array Radar Observations of a Tornado in the Pearl River Estuary

The strong destructive winds during tornadoes can greatly threaten human life and destroy property.The increasing availability of visual and remote observations,especially by Doppler weather radars,is of great value in understanding tornado formation and issuing warnings to the public.In this study,we present the first documented tornado over water detected by a state-of-the-art dual-polarization phased-array radar(dual-PAR)in China.In contrast to new-generation weather radars,the dual-PAR shows great advantages in tornado detection for its high spatial resolution,reliable polarimetric variables,and rapid-scan strategy.The polarimetric signature of copolar cross-correlation coefficient with anomalously low magnitude appears to be effective for verifying a tornado and thus is helpful for issuing tornado warnings.The Guangdong Meteorological Service has been developing an experimental X-band dual-PAR network in the Pearl River Delta with the goal of deploying at least 40 advanced dual-PARs and other dual-polarization weather radars before 2035.This network is the first quasi-operational X-band dual-PAR network with unprecedented high coverage in the globe.With such high-performance close-range PARs,efficient operational nowcasting and warning services for small-scale,rapidly evolving,and damaging weather(e.g.,tornadoes,localized heavy rainfall,microbursts,and hail)can be expected.

Operational Evaluation of the Quantitative Precipitation Estimation by a CINRAD-SA Dual Polarization Radar System

In this paper,a quantitative precipitation estimation based on the hydrometeor classification(HCA-QPE)algorithm was proposed for the first operational S band dual-polarization radar upgraded from the CINRAD/SA radar of China.The HCA-QPE algorithm,localized Colorado State University-Hydrometeor Identification of Rainfall(CSUHIDRO)algorithm,the Joint Polarization Experiment(JPOLE)algorithm,and the dynamic Z-R relationships based on variational correction QPE(DRVC-QPE)algorithm were evaluated with the rainfall events from March 1 to October 30,2017 in Guangdong Province.The results indicated that even though the HCA-QPE algorithm did not use the observed rainfall data for correction,its estimation accuracy was better than that of the DRVC-QPE algorithm when the rainfall rate was greater than 5 mm h-1;and the stronger the rainfall intensity,the greater the QPE improvement.Besides,the HCA-QPE algorithm worked better than the localized CSU-HIDRO and JPOLE algorithms.This study preliminarily evaluated the improved accuracy of QPE by a dual-polarization radar system modified from CINRAD-SA radar.

Broadband printed antennas and dual-polarized microstrip and waveguide slot antenna arrays

In order to meet the urgent needs in wireless communications, microwave image synthetic aperture radars （SAR）, and electronic warfare systems, this dissertation studies several types of broadband dual-polarized planar antenna elements and arrays, and proposes a few of novel designs with experimental verification. The main accomplishments reported in the dissertation are as follows.

PROPAGATION EFFECTS AND APPLICATION OF PHASE INFORMATION FOR C-BAND DUAL-POLARIZATION RADAR

As a study on exploiting and popularizing the advanced dual-polarization weather radar technique in China,the physical mechanism for the propagation effect of the radar wave is discussed by using the widely adapted extended boundary condition method,and some theoretic results are provided for improving rain measurement accuracy.Furthermore,phase information, another important characteristic quantity of microwave,is considered for tapping the potentialities of the new meteorological radar system.

Fusion of Ground-Based and Spaceborne Radar Precipitation Based on Spatial Domain Regularization

High-quality and accurate precipitation estimations can be obtained by integrating precipitation information measures using ground-based and spaceborne radars in the same target area.Estimating the true precipitation state is a typical inverse problem for a given set of noisy radar precipitation observations.The regularization method can appropriately constrain the inverse problem to obtain a unique and stable solution.For different types of precipitation with different prior distributions,the L_(1) and L_(2) norms were more effective in constraining stratiform and convective precipitation,respectively.As a combination of L_(1) and L_(2) norms,the Huber norm is more suitable for mixed precipitation types.This study uses different regularization norms to combine precipitation data from the C-band dual-polarization ground radar(CDP)and dual-frequency precipitation radar(DPR)on the Global Precipitation Measurement(GPM)mission core satellite.Compared to single-source radar data,the fused figures contain more information and present a comprehensive precipitation structure encompassing the reflectivity and precipitation fields.In 27 precipitation cases,the fusion results utilizing the Huber norm achieved a structural similarity index measure(SSIM)and a peak signal-to-noise ratio(PSNR)of 0.8378 and 30.9322,respectively,compared with the CDP data.The fusion results showed that the Huber norm effectively amalgamate the features of convective and stratiform precipitation,with a reduction in the mean absolute error(MAE;16.1%and 22.6%,respectively)and root-mean-square error(RMSE;11.7%and 13.6%,respectively)compared to the 1-norm and 2-norm.Moreover,in contrast to the fusion results of scale recursive estimation(SRE),the Huber norm exhibits superior capability in capturing the localized precipitation intensity and reconstructing the detailed features of precipitation.

Progress in dual-band dual-polarization shared-aperture SAR antennas

The progress in dual-band dual-polarization(DBDP)shared-aperture antennas for the synthetic aperture radar(SAR)application in the last decade is reviewed.Several designs of DBDP SAR antenna arrays are introduced with their main performances,then their comparison is summarized.In addition,some techniques enhancing DBDP antenna performances are presented.