Results of measurements during a one-year period of vertical attenuation at a wavelength of 8.2 mm in the earth's atmosphere on the basis of its intrinsic emission

Data on vertical attenuation at a wavelength of 8.2 mm were obtained over the European USSR during the period July 4, 1978 to July 4, 1979; the attenuation was due primarily to hydrometeors, but molecular absorption also played a role. A statistical distribution of this attenuation in rain was obtained which agrees well with a distribution calculated on the basis of an average yearly distribution of rain intensity and effective attenuation heights in rain. The experimental statistical distribution which was obtained makes it possible to evaluate the performance of the 8.2-mm communication channel between the ground and a geostationary satellite over the European USSR.