A Microwave Scattering Database of Oriented Ice and Snow Particles: Supporting Habit-Dependent Growth Models and Radar Applications

 A new DDA-based database of optical properties at 5.6, 9.6, 35.6, and 94 GHz, specifically designed to accommodate the broad range of ice crystal morphologies. The database contains 2,627individual ice crystals, including dendrites, plates, and columns, as well as 450 aggregates with varying degrees of riming and crystal types. The data are organized in three levels: Level 0 provides raw scattering matrices at individual orientations for a full range of scattering angles; level 1a summarizes Mueller and amplitude matrix elements relevant for radar applications (at forward and backward scattering angles); and level 1b offers lookup tables of scattering properties that are relevant for polarimetric radars assuming azimuthally random orientations of the particles. These data allow for flexible treatment of the canting angle of the particles. In this repository we provide the level1a and level1b data. The lookup tables are directly accessible via the McRadar simulator (https://github.com/lterzi/McRadar) and can also be interfaced with other forward operators. The new database allows for a more consistent and realistic treatment of evolving ice particle properties in atmospheric models, improving the interpretation of radar observations and model-observation integration. For more information, the user is refered to egusphere-2025-3910