ESMRN5L1: Nimbus-5 Satellite Microwave Brightness Temperatures, 1972-1977

Nimbus-5 satellite brightness temperature data measured at 19.35 GHz from December 11, 1972 through May 16, 1977. The data were recovered from original IBM binary tapes and contain calibrated radiances from the Electrically Scanning Microwave Radiometer (ESMR). The ESMR Principal Investigator was Dr. Thomas T. Wilheit, Jr. from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

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 radiance.
• Test the feasibility of inferring surface composition and soil moisture from 19.35 GHz satellite data.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific 4.5-year period from December 1972 to May 1977.
• Calibrated brightness temperatures at a defined frequency of 19.35 GHz.
• Original data provenance is documented, including recovery from IBM 360 magnetic tapes.

Limitations

• Data is archived in a proprietary IBM binary format (binary TAP file), which may require specialized tools for access.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Recovered from original magnetic tapes (Calibrated Brightness Temperature Tapes) written on IBM 360 machines.

Time Range

December 11, 1972 (day of year 346) through May III, 1977 (day of year 136)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 02:44:03.025931; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global, from the Nimbus-5 satellite orbit.