Cloud Attenuation Statistical Model for Satellite-Based FSO Communications

This letter addresses the attenuation statistics due to the clouds on satellite-based free-space optical communications. Specifically, we present a novel distribution model of monthly cloud attenuation for several regions in Japan. To this purpose, a five-year reanalysis meteorological database, namely, ERA-Interim, produced from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF), is investigated. The cloud liquid water content (CLWC) obtained from the ECMWF ERA-interim database is used to determine the cloud attenuation. The curve-fitting method is performed to derive the probability density function (PDF) of cloud attenuation. The results show that the log-normal distribution best models the PDF of monthly cloud attenuation.