Global Daily Brightness Temperature Grids at 36GHz from AMSR2

Global 0.1-degree resolution grids of daily averaged brightness temperature at 36GHz, derived from the AMSR2 sensor onboard Japan's GCOM-W satellite. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) produces this Level 3 data by calculating the arithmetic mean of observations from ascending and descending tracks. The satellite was launched in May 2012, providing long-term data records.

Use Cases

• Analyze daily brightness temperature variations for horizontal (Brightness_Temperature_(H)) and vertical (Brightness_Temperature_(V)) polarizations to study surface properties.
• Monitor long-term trends in microwave emissions by aggregating daily 0.1-degree grid data into monthly statistical means.
• Identify regions outside the sensor's 1450 km swath using the defined error value range (65531 to 65534).
• Filter for valid observations by excluding missing data points flagged with the value 65535.

Strengths

• Global coverage with a consistent 0.1-degree spatial sampling resolution.
• Data spans multiple microwave frequencies and polarizations from the AMSR2 sensor's 7 bands.
• Provides separate statistical means for satellite ascending and descending tracks.

Limitations

• Missing data is represented by a single value (65535), which may mask different causes of data absence.
• The simple arithmetic mean calculation may smooth over sub-daily variability captured in Level 1B and Level 2 inputs.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Collection Method

Processed from Level 1B and Level 2 data from the AMSR2 sensor on the GCOM-W satellite, using a simple arithmetic mean for daily and monthly grids.

Time Range

Data collection began after the satellite launch in May 2012.

Freshness

Daily statistical period, but specific data currency is unknown.

Geography

Global