CLOUD ATTENUATION AT Ka, Q AND W BANDS BASED ON RADIOSOUNDINGS DURING RAINY AND NON-RAINY SEASONS IN CENTRAL ANDES: A STUDY IN EL ALTO, BOLIVIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23881/idupbo.021.1-1iKeywords:
Satellite Communications, Cloud Attenuation, Radiosoundings, PropagationAbstract
Cloud attenuation in satellite communication systems becomes a relevant issue as the frequency increases, and thus, it has to be taken into account when link availability is being calculated. This atmospheric impairment is a variable atmospheric phenomenon whose characterization has to be done not only on a yearly-basis but also on a seasonal and monthly basis. In the present paper, cloud attenuation statistics are reported at 20 GHz, 40 GHz and 75 GHz during rainy and non-rainy seasons in El Alto, Bolivia, at 4065 m of altitude, using 3 years of radiosoundings (2016-2019). Cloud detection models have been used for the calculations, including Salonen, Salonen08, Decker and CldMod models, and results obtained are compared to those given by the global model of the ITU-R Rec. P.840. The results lead to conclude that zenith cloud attenuation during rainy season can reach maximum values between 0.15 and 0.45 dB (20 GHz), 0.55 and 1.5 dB (40 GHz), and 1.3 and 3.9 dB (75 GHz) depending on the model to be used. In comparison, during non-rainy season these values vary between 0.08 and 0.33 dB (20 GHz), 0.26 and 1.1 dB (40 GHz), and 0.62 and 2.6 dB (75 GHz). On the other hand, statistics based on CldMod model and, in a less extent, Decker model are close to the ones obtained using the ITU-R global model. These observations could open the possibility of further studies assessing the reliability of meteorological parameters in digital maps at high altitude sites, because these data are used in global propagation models.Downloads
References
T. Rossi et al., "Satellite communication and propagation experiments through the Alphasat Q/V band Aldo Paraboni technology demonstration payload," in IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 18-27, March 2016.
S. De Fina, M. Ruggieri and A. V. Bosisio, "Exploitation of the W-band for high capacity satellite communications," in IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 82-93, Jan. 2003.
G. A. Siles, M. Heredia and R. Harriague, "Cloud detection models and their effect on the calculation of cloud attenuation: Assessment at Ka-and Q-band at 4065 meters of altitude,"14th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP), 2020, pp. 1-5.
ITU-R, “Attenuation due to clouds and fogs,” ITU-R Recommendation P.840-8, 2019
M. F. Andrade, I. Moreno, J.M. Calle, L. Ticona, L. Blacutt, W. Lavado-Casimiro, E. Sabino, A. Huerta, C. Aybar, S. Hunziker, S. Brönnimann, Climate and extreme events from the Central Altiplano of Peru and Bolivia 1981-2010. Geographica Bernensia. 2018.
E. Salonen and S. Uppala, “New prediction method of cloud attenuation,” Electronics Letters, vol. 27, no. 12, pp. 1106–1108, 1991.
V. Mattioli, P. Basili, S. Bonafoni, P. Ciotti, and E. Westwater, “Analysis and improvements of cloud models for propagation studies,” Radio Science, vol. 44, 2009.
M. Decker, E. Westwater, and F. Guiraud, “Experimental evaluation of ground-based microwave radiometric sensing of atmospheric temperature and water vapor profiles,” Journal of Applied Meteorology, vol. 17, no. 12, pp. 1788–1795, 1978.
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
CC BY-NC-SA
This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work for non-commercial purposes, as long as they credit the author(s) and license their new creations under the identical terms.
The authors can enter additional separate contract agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the article published in the magazine (for instance, they may publish it in an institutional repository or a book), subject to an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this magazine.