Monthly Global Brightness Temperature Grids At 6GHz From AMSR2

One-month statistical averages of brightness temperature at 6GHz, derived from the AMSR2 sensor on the GCOM-W satellite. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) produces this Level 3 data, which provides global coverage on a 0.1-degree grid. The satellite was launched in May 2012.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial patterns of Brightness_Temperature_(H) and Brightness_Temperature_(V) to study surface properties like soil moisture or sea surface temperature.
• Use the Standard_Deviation field to assess temporal variability of microwave emissions within each monthly pixel.
• Leverage the Average_Number and Total_Number columns to evaluate data quality and observational coverage for specific grid cells.
• Compare ascending and descending track data to investigate diurnal effects on observed brightness temperatures.
• Apply the 0.1-degree grid resolution for input into climate models requiring long-term, global geophysical datasets.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage on a consistent 0.1-degree grid.
• Provides separate data for satellite ascending and descending tracks.
• Includes quality metrics like Standard_Deviation, Average_Number, and Total_Number per pixel.

Limitations

• Missing values and error values (65531 to 65535) require specific handling and filtering.
• The dataset is a monthly average, losing higher-frequency temporal information.
• Specific row count and total file size are unknown.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Collection Method

Level 3 processing of AMSR2 sensor data, calculating monthly arithmetic means of daily statistical values for each grid point.

Time Range

Data collection began after the satellite launch in May 2012; specific end date unknown.

Freshness

null

Geography

Global