Atmospheric limitations on telecommunication system performance - Recent advances

The past two decades or more have witnessed the explosive domestic and international growth of telecommunications extending services up to SHF and higher ranges of frequencies. Results of the efforts available in engineering formulations, graphs, or computer programs are summarized. Recent advances in quantitatively defining the various limitations imposed on terrestrial and earth/satellite systems by the earth's nonionized atmosphere are briefly outlined. The discussion covers atmospheric effects, advances in trapping or ducting, as well as advances in terrestrial LOS fading, in atmospheric attenuation, in depolarization, and in rainfall prediction.