MICROWAVE ATTENUATION AND CROSS POLARIZATION IN DUST STORMS

Some of the electrical and mechanical properties of dust are discussed and the effects of dust storms on microwave propagation are investigated. An expression for optical visibility during storms is given in terms of the relative volume occupied by dust. Expressions for attenuation and phase-shift constants for a medium with precipitating dust particles are derived in terms of visibility and wavelength for both vertical and horizontal polarizations. Expressions for the attenuation and cross-polarization of circularly polarized waves are also derived. It is shown that linearly polarized waves suffer little effect while circularly polarized waves are significantly cross-polarized.