Calculations of millimeter wave depolarization due to melting layer and rain

A model for calculating the total depolarization due to the melting layer and rain is proposed under the assumption that oblate spheroidal melting particles and raindrops have the same orientation. The melting layer is composed of the melting particles which are made up from the mixture of ice, air and water. The specific attenuation and the specific phase shift both for the melting layer and for rain are given in the power lawaR^b form for the rain rates 0R12.5 mm/h and the parameters are tabled over the frequency range of 1–100 GHz. Using the model, the numerical calculation of the depolarization is possible for three drop size distributions.