Radar-Based Refractivity Estimation: A New Calibration Approach Relying on Reanalysis Data

Radio refractivity is a valuable parameter to model radio communication links and it is widely used in numerical weather prediction (NWP), since it is closely related to temperature and relative humidity. Recently, a method to estimate this parameter from radar phase measurements has been proposed. However, the accuracy of the estimates largely depends on the calibration stage, which is based on measurements performed by ground-based weather stations. Due to the high cost of installing and maintaining an automatic weather station network, looking for alternative calibration procedures has become an interesting option for radar operators. This paper discusses the reliability and performance of a new calibration method based on the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) reanalysis data.