Melting Layer Attenuation at Ka- and W-Bands as Derived From Multifrequency Radar Doppler Spectra Observations

Abstract The melting layer of precipitation has a major impact on remote sensing and telecommunications. However, there is a shortage of observational studies to validate and constrain the melting layer models especially for high-frequency radar bands. In this paper, we report how multifrequency radar Doppler spectra can be used to retrieve the melting layer attenuation at Ka- and W-bands. The presented analysis is based on identifying Rayleigh scattering regions in radar Doppler spectra measurements where dual-wavelength spectral ratios can be related to differential attenuation. We show that the estimated attenuation at Ka- and W-bands agrees reasonably well with previously reported studies, but there are indications of differences at higher rain rates. We advocate that this technique can be applied to long-term observations to advance our knowledge of the melting process. The parameterizations of melting layer attenuation as a function of rain rate and radar reflectivity are also presented.Peer reviewe