Potential capabilities of coherent dual polarization X-band radar

At X-band, the incident radar beam can be progressively depolarized by precipitation. This can occur to the extent that the received backscatter radiation has polarization characteristics with a stronger imprint from the propagation process than from the backscatter process. The purpose of this paper is to present the progress to date by the authors in solving the problem of separating propagation from backscattering effects. In particular, equations are developed that express the intrinsic backscatter properties in terms of radar measurements. Preliminary measurements of precipitation were made using the IPIX radar, a multiparameter system developed at McMaster University. These are presented to illustrate the potential capabilities of this system in contributing to the study and application of coherent polarimetric measurements at X-band.