ACPD Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ACPD 1680-7375 Copernicus GmbH Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/acpd-6-8125-2006 Evaluation of radar multiple scattering effects in Cloudsat configuration Battaglia A. 1 Ajewole M. O. 2 Simmer C. 3 Meteorological Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria Meteorological Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany 28 08 2006 6 4 8125 8154 This is an open-access article ditributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. This article is available from http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/6/8125/2006/acpd-6-8125-2006.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/6/8125/2006/acpd-6-8125-2006.pdf

MonteCarlo simulations have been performed to evaluate the importance of multiple scattering effects in co- and cross-polar radar returns for 94GHz radars in Cloudsat and airborne configurations. Thousands of vertically structured profiles derived from some different cloud resolving models are used as a test-bed. Mie theory is used to derive the single scattering properties of the atmospheric hydrometeors. Multiple scattering effects in the cross polar channel (reflectivity enhancement) are particularly elusive, especially in airborne configuration. They can be quite consistent in satellite configurations, like Cloudsat, especially in regions of high attenuation and in the presence of highly forward scattering layers associated with snow and graupel particles. When the cross polar returns are analysed, high <i>LDR</i> values appear both in space and in airborne configurations. The <i>LDR</i> signatures are footprints of multiple scattering effects since they cannot be explained by single scattering computations, even including non-spherical particles. We see these signatures confirmed by some experimental data collected during the Wakasa Bay experiment. Multiple scattering effects can be important for Clousat applications like rainfall and snowfall retrievals since single scattering based algorithms will be otherwise burdened by positive biases.