| KEYWORD |
Cross-calibration of space-borne W-band cloud radars via a study of orbital coincident overpasses
keywords CALIBRATION, CLOUD, ORBITS, RADAR, RADARMETEOROLOGY
Reference persons ALESSANDRO BATTAGLIA, SABRINA CORPINO
External reference persons FABRIZIO STESINA
Research Groups Radar and satellite Meteorology
Thesis type NUMERICAL AND DESIGN ORIENTED
Description The WIVERN (WInd VElocity Radar Nephoscope) mission, based on a 94 GHz conically scanning Doppler radar for the measurement of horizontal winds, has been selected for Phase 0 studies in the ESA Earth Explorer program. The radar calibration represents a crucial aspect of the missionsince the classical calibration method (observation of ocean surfaces at 12 degrees off nadir) will not be feasible. The radar can be calibrated either by using natural targets or by cross-calibrating with other W-band radars in orbit in the same period. NASA will launch ATMOS in the same period, with an inclined orbit and a W-band radar payload. The gosl of the thesis is to study the geographical distribution and the number of intersection that will be available from the quasi-instantaneous intersections between the orbits of Wivern (dawn-dusk polar) and the ATMOS inclined orbit. Via the cloud climatology provided by previous missions (NASA-CloudSat) this will allow to compute the number of potential calibration points available on the monthly scale.
Required skills Orbit computation, programming in matlab or python
Deadline 26/06/2022
PROPONI LA TUA CANDIDATURA