AMSR-E's twelve-channel radiometer captured vertically and horizontally polarized brightness temperatures at six frequencies from 6.925 to 89.0 GHz. Spatial resolution varied from 5.4 km to 56 km across a swath collected by a 1.6-meter parabolic reflector. The instrument, provided by AMD_KOPRI, operated through December 2010.
Use Cases
- Estimate sea ice concentration by analyzing polarization difference at 6.925 GHz and 18.7 GHz channels.
- Model soil moisture levels using the vertically polarized brightness temperature at the 10.65 GHz channel.
- Retrieve atmospheric water vapor and cloud liquid water by comparing measurements at the 23.8 GHz and 36.5 GHz frequencies.
- Study precipitation patterns and rates through brightness temperature depressions observed at the 89.0 GHz channel.
Strengths
- Provides dual-polarization (vertical and horizontal) measurements at all six frequency channels.
- Offers a swath width from a conical scan maintaining a constant 55-degree Earth incidence angle.
- Calibration uses cosmic background radiation and an on-board warm target for accuracy.
Limitations
- Spatial resolution is coarse, varying from 56 km at the lowest frequency to 5.4 km at the highest.
- Data is from a single year (2010) and may not represent long-term climatic trends.
- Specific row counts, file sizes, and column details are unknown.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA Earthdata (platform), instrument provided by AMD_KOPRI.
- Collection Method
- Passive microwave radiation collected by an offset parabolic reflector scanning a conical surface.
- Time Range
- 2010
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Global coverage from satellite swath.