A hypothesis of 3D rainfall tomography using satellite signals

The attenuation of microwave signals due to rainfall, known as rain attenuation, can be used to measure rain. Similar to using X-ray to carry out human-body CT scans, the microwave signals of low earth and/or medium earth orbit satellites are proposed for carrying out 3D (Three Dimensional) rainfall tomography in this paper. The proposed method will not only complement the three major rain measurement methods in use today (i.e. rain gauge, weather radar, and weather satellite) but also potentially achieve 3D rainfall measurements with precision and coverage unachievable before. Along with the deployment of low earth orbit satellite constellations (e.g. the OneWeb constellation) for global broadband Internet services, small satellite receivers of the size of a pizza box may be used to achieve 3D rainfall tomography anywhere on the Earth, thereby paving the way for many practical applications and atmospheric research that are associated with rainfall.