Dependence of reflectivity factor-rainfall rate relationship on polarization

Abstract

The reflectivity factor (Z), rainfall rate (R) relationship for weather radars that probe precipitation at low elevation angles is sensitive to polarization. It is shown how to transform a relation that is valid with one polarization (vertical, horizontal or circular) to relations that are applicable to the other two polarizations. We present errors that occur if the transformations are not applied, and an example from literature in which two seemingly different Z, R relations are equivalent, tied by the polarization transformation.