Use of Operational Microwave Link Measurements for the Tomographic Reconstruction of 2-D Maps of Accumulated Rainfall

In this letter, we show how an operational microwave link network can be used to reconstruct 2-D fields of accumulated rainfall over a limited area at ground level. To this purpose, we use a tomographic technique that exploits the relation between rainfall rate and the attenuation experienced by the microwave links of the network. The links located in Italy operate at K-band and are managed by an Internet service provider. The results are validated by comparing the reconstructed rainfall maps with those derived from a network of conventional rain gauges. Finally, we assess by simulation the impact of the network’s density and topology on the accuracy of the reconstruction algorithm.