Daily gridded brightness temperatures are derived from passive microwave sensors aboard DMSP satellites. Data coverage began in July 1987 and is ongoing, with updates processed several times annually. The dataset is produced by NSIDC from orbital swath data.
Use Cases
- Analyze temporal trends in brightness temperatures at 19.3 GHz vertical and horizontal channels.
- Compare spatial patterns of surface conditions using 37.0 GHz vertical and horizontal channel data.
- Study high-resolution polar phenomena by mapping 85.5 GHz or 91.7 GHz data at 12.5 km resolution.
- Validate climate models by comparing model outputs with long-term brightness temperature records starting from 1987.
- Assess sensor performance differences between SSM/I (F8, F11, F13) and SSMIS (F17, F18) platforms.
Strengths
- Long-term data coverage spanning from July 1987 to the present.
- Includes multiple sensor frequencies (19.3 GHz, 22.2 GHz, 37.0 GHz, 85.5 GHz, 91.7 GHz).
- Provides high-resolution data at 12.5 km for 85.5 GHz and 91.7 GHz channels.
Limitations
- Specific row count, column count, and file size are unknown.
- Data is limited to polar regions due to the polar stereographic projection.
- Brightness temperatures are derived via a simple sum-and-average method, which may introduce averaging artifacts.
Provenance
- Source
- NSIDC_CPRD
- Collection Method
- Derived from orbital swath data from DMSP satellites F8, F11, F13, F17, and F18 using a simple sum-and-average grid mapping method.
- Time Range
- July 1987 to present
- Freshness
- Updated several times annually.
- Geography
- Polar regions