Contours of Radio Frequency Refractive Index Under Anomalous Weather Conditions Around the Arabian Gulf

Anomalous weather conditions prevail in the Arab Gulf Area in the summer season as a result of the abnormal variations of the air temperature, pressure and relative humidity in the lower tropospherical area. These generate radio frequency refractive index N in space that deviates considerably from the standard atmospheric refractive index. Such anomaly in N could disrupt existing communication links rendering some links completely blind. In order to predict the form of the wave propagation in space and to identify locations of signal loss, complete spatial knowledge of N must be known. In this work, contours of N are presented covering vertically up to 1 km high and laterally the area around the Arab Gulf extending from Kuwait down to the Arab Emirates. Such contours are the result of data accumulated over 27 years. Further, limited representation of the communication coverage distribution under such weather anomaly is presented.