Nonuniform Scattering of Microwave Radiation Due to Layered DUSA Storm: Theory and Experiment

Wireless communication networks of desert-belt nations can be severely compromised by frequent dust/sand (DUSA) storms. Existing attenuation and scattering models for electromagnetic (EM) waves often consider homogeneous DUSA media. This article proposes an analytical model of a layer-based DUSA storm to monitor the EM attenuation from different DUSA layers. A lab-based experimental setup is used to measure the attenuation from a specific DUSA layer. The measured results are used to validate an equivalent professional simulator [high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS)] model of the DUSA layer. The agreement between the proposed analytical and simulated results demonstrates the redundancy of complicated experimental validation process. The simulation model also allowed the monitoring of EM attenuation due to different particle sizes, shapes, and concentrations in different homogeneous layers of the DUSA storm. The predicted EM attenuations agreed well with the data available in the literature.