A Novel Electromagnetic Wave Rain Gauge and its Average Rainfall Estimation Method

It is essential to accurately estimate rainfall to predict and prevent hydrological disasters such as floods. In this paper, an electromagnetic wave rain gauge system and a method to estimate average rainfall using the system&rsquo
s multiple elevation observation data are presented. The compact electromagnetic wave rain gauge is a small-sized radar that performs very short-range observations using K-band dual-polarization technology. The method to estimate average rainfall is based on the concept of an average observation derived from multiple elevation scans with very short range and dual-polarization information. The proposed method was evaluated by comparing it with ground instruments, including a pit-gauge, tipping-bucket rain gauges, and a Parsivel disdrometer. The evaluation results demonstrated that the new methodology worked fairly well for various rainfall events.