Daily Global Brightness Temperature Records from Multiple Satellite Radiometers

Version 2 of this Earth Science Data Record provides calibrated, enhanced-resolution passive microwave brightness temperature data gridded onto three EASE-Grid 2.0 projections. It integrates measurements from five satellite radiometer instruments, including SMMR, SSM/I, SSMIS, AMSR-E, and AMSR2, with improvements in cross-sensor calibration and quality control over the previous version. The dataset is produced by the NSIDC_CPRD organization.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal trends in brightness temperature for polar ice sheets using the daily North and South Azimuthal EASE-Grid 2.0 projections.
• Compare sensor-specific brightness temperature measurements from SMMR, SSM/I, SSMIS, AMSR-E, and AMSR2 after cross-calibration.
• Study diurnal cycles by incorporating the local time-of-day (LTOD) processing information for each observation.
• Utilize the enhanced-resolution imagery to examine fine-scale spatial features in microwave emissions over land or ocean.
• Apply the coarse-resolution, averaged imagery for large-scale climate model validation or trend analysis.

Strengths

• Integrates data from five major satellite microwave radiometer missions, providing a multi-decade record.
• Features improvements in cross-sensor calibration and quality checking over Version 1, enhancing data consistency.
• Data is provided on three standardized EASE-Grid 2.0 projections (North Azimuthal, South Azimuthal, Cylindrical) for global analysis.
• Includes both enhanced-resolution and coarse-resolution imagery products for different analytical scales.

Limitations

• Specific temporal coverage, row count, and file size are unknown, making it difficult to assess the dataset's scope.
• The absence of known column names or a data sample limits understanding of the exact variables and their structure.
• Reliance on satellite data means coverage and quality can be affected by instrument malfunctions, orbital gaps, or atmospheric interference.

Provenance

Source

NSIDC_CPRD, aggregating data from NASA and DoD satellite instruments (SMMR, SSM/I, SSMIS, AMSR-E, AMSR2).

Collection Method

Data is processed from raw satellite measurements into a calibrated, gridded Earth Science Data Record (ESDR) using defined algorithms for enhancement and projection.

Geography

Global, gridded onto EASE-Grid 2.0 projections covering Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, and cylindrical (global) extents.