Monthly Global Brightness Temperature Grids at 89GHz from AMSR2

Monthly Level 3 data products provide averaged brightness temperature at 89GHz from the AMSR2 sensor onboard the JAXA GCOM-W satellite. The dataset includes statistical means, standard deviations, and observation counts on a 0.1-degree global grid, calculated separately for ascending and descending satellite tracks. Data production began after the satellite's launch in May 2012.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term trends in Brightness_Temperature_(H) and Brightness_Temperature_(V) to monitor polar sea ice extent and concentration.
• Using the Standard_Deviation field from monthly products to assess spatial and temporal variability in surface emissions at 89GHz.
• Leveraging the Average_Number and Total_Number columns to filter data by observation density and quality for climate model validation.
• Correlating brightness temperature grids with other geophysical datasets using the 0.1-degree equi-rectangular (EQR) or polar stereo (PS) projection.

Strengths

• Global spatial coverage at a 0.1-degree sampling resolution.
• Data includes separate statistical products for satellite ascending and descending tracks.
• Provides long-term records starting from the satellite's operational date in 2012.

Limitations

• Missing values and error values (65531 to 65535) require specific handling to filter invalid data.
• The Standard_Deviation metric is only available in the monthly product, not the daily.
• Data represents statistical means, not raw instantaneous observations.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Collection Method

Calculated 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

From May 2012 onward.

Freshness

Monthly update frequency.

Geography

Global.