ESMRN5IM: Nimbus-5 Microwave Brightness Temperature Images, 1972-1977

Global daily brightness temperature images collected by the Nimbus-5 Electrically Scanning Microwave Radiometer (ESMR) from December 11, 1972 to May 16, 1977. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration produced this data, which is saved as JPEG 2000 files and archived in TAR files containing approximately two weeks of imagery per file. Each image frame includes a geographic grid and parallel strips of imagery with different dynamic ranges for gray scale.

Use Cases

• Derive liquid water content of clouds over oceans based on brightness temperature measurements.
• Observe differences between sea ice and open sea in polar regions based on microwave emission data.
• Test the feasibility of inferring surface composition and soil moisture from 1.55-cm wavelength radiation.
• Perform historical climate analysis using global microwave mapping that functioned in cloud-blocked conditions.

Strengths

• Data collection spans over 4 years, from December 1972 to May 1977.
• Images provide three different dynamic ranges (100-200 K, 190-270 K, 250-300 K) for gray scale analysis.
• Spatial resolution is specified as 25 x 25 km near nadir.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Spatial resolution degrades to 160 km cross-track by 45 km down-track at scan ends.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the Nimbus-5 Electrically Scanning Microwave Radiometer (ESMR) instrument.

Time Range

December 11, 1972 to May 16, 1977

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 02:44:03.089105; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global