Estimation of radio refractivity using a multiple angle clutter model

Abstract

The common occurrence of a marine boundary layer in coastal regions can affect radio wave propagation significantly. Refractivity from clutter (RFC) techniques are aimed at estimating the refractivity profile of the ambient environment based on the received radar clutter. While most previous RFC work has not considered the dependence of RFC inversions on a variable grazing angle, this study investigates incorporation of the grazing angle information into the clutter model. A newly proposed clutter model based on multiple incident angles at each range is used here. The inversion performance of the multiple angle clutter model is compared to that of other models. Synthetic examples of a range‐independent surface‐based duct and a range‐dependent evaporation duct are investigated for a S‐band radar. Finally, a comparison of inversions on one set of experimental measurements from the SPANDAR 1998 data set is provided, using single and multiple grazing angle clutter models, and the previously used model based on grazing angle independent sea surface reflectivity.