Effective area

{
  "id": "MLC-T-MET-010490",
  "term": "Effective area",
  "field": "Meteorology and atmospheric science",
  "definition": "The apparent area of an antenna or sensor that effectively captures incident radiation or energy, often differing from its physical area. In remote sensing, it quantifies the efficiency with which an instrument collects signals from a target. For a radar antenna, it relates the power received to the incident power density.",
  "synonyms": [
    "effective aperture"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "aperture"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/meteorology/effective-area/"
}