Evaluation of the Impacts of System Modules on Polarimetric Radar Data Quality Using a Phased Array Weather Radar System Simulator

This paper combines a time-domain modeling and simulation method for evaluating the impacts of system modules on polarimetric data quality of phased array weather radars with both theoretical analysis and actual measurements. In the presented phased array radar system simulator (PASIM), the distributed weather targets are modeled by random multiple scattering centers, and Next-Generation Radar (NEXRAD) Level-II data or user-defined weather scenarios are utilized as weather truth fields. Besides, based on a generic patch element designed by the High Frequency Structural Simulator (HFSS), a specific dual-polarization phased array mobile demonstration system (Ten Panel Demonstrator, or TPD) is simulated. In addition, the biases of differential reflectivity, correlation coefficient and differential phase along beam direction away from broadside, in observation of uniform weather truth fields for both principal plane and non-principal plane are used as data quality metrics. It is shown that the simulation results are consistent with theoretical predictions, and measurements from TPD testbed in observation of a stratiform precipitation are presented, similarities and discrepancies between simulations and measurements are compared and explained.