Measurement of Dielectric Constant of Seawater at P Band

This paper is concerned with the accurate measurement of the dielectric constant of seawater at P band. The measurement of seawater salinity at L band (1.414 GHz) by satellite becomes less accurate as the seawater temperature decreases. At lower frequencies such as 707 MHz, the sensitivity to salinity of the radiometer measurements increases. Designers of P band radiometers for ocean sensing will need to know how the dielectric constant of seawater varies with salinity (S) and temperature (T). To determine this relationship, a P band cavity, based on an L band design, has been constructed. Initial measurements are made at S=35 psu and T= 10°, 20°, 30°C. The results are compared with the values obtained from L band models evaluated at P band (f=707MHz.). The model predictions are close to the measurement results.