Articles | Volume 18, issue 21
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-6143-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-6143-2025
Research article
 | 
04 Nov 2025
Research article |  | 04 Nov 2025

Use of commercial microwave links as scintillometers: potential and limitations towards evaporation estimation

Luuk D. van der Valk, Oscar K. Hartogensis, Miriam Coenders-Gerrits, Rolf W. Hut, Bas Walraven, and Remko Uijlenhoet

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Short summary
Commercial microwave links (CMLs), part of mobile phone networks, transmit comparable signals to instruments specially designed to estimate evaporation. Therefore, we investigate if CMLs could be used to estimate evaporation, even though they have not been designed for this purpose. Our results illustrate the potential for using CMLs to estimate evaporation, especially given their global coverage, but also outline some major drawbacks, often a consequence of unfavourable design choices for CMLs.
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