Abstract

A weather radar transmits and receives EM wave signals from which radar variables are estimated. We can use these estimates to obtain moment data for weather applications. Whereas in previous chapters we discussed the definitions of polarimetric radar variables and the information they contain about the physical characteristics of hydrometeors, it is also important to know the practical issues that arise in radar measurements and in estimating moment data in order to effectively utilize these data. These issues include sample errors in moment estimates, noise effects in polarimetric measurements, clutter contamination, and mitigation. This chapter provides the fundamentals of the radar equation and signal processing to estimate polarimetric radar variables. It also discusses recent advances in signal processing and clutter detection and filtering that allow us to obtain high quality polarimetric radar data.