GCOM-W AMSR2 Microwave Radiometer Raw Data and Orbital Elements

Global Change Observation Mission-Water (GCOM-W) satellite's Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) provides raw microwave emission measurements. The instrument, launched in May 2012, scans a 1450 km swath from 700 km altitude, achieving over 99% Earth coverage every 2 days. Remote Sensing Systems processes this data into near-real-time and final analysis products for the GHRSST Project.

Use Cases

• Retrieving sea surface temperature (SST) and wind speed using NCEP Final Analysis atmospheric model data.
• Monitoring global sea ice concentration and snow depth from conical scan microwave emission measurements.
• Analyzing diurnal cycles of water vapor and cloud liquid water using daytime and nighttime data acquired every 2 days.
• Validating climate models with long-term observations of precipitation and soil moisture spanning from 2012.
• Calculating satellite position for data geolocation using the provided Two-Line Element files.

Strengths

• Conical scan mechanism provides over 99% coverage of the Earth every 2 days.
• Data processing includes a near-real-time product available within 3 hours of recording.
• Continues the Aqua/AMSR-E observation record for long-term climate analysis.

Limitations

• Near-real-time (NRT) products are not intended as archive quality, requiring use of final versions for research.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and detailed column schema for the raw data records are not provided.

Provenance

Source

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) instrument data processed by Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) for NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

Microwave emission measurements from the AMSR2 radiometer onboard the GCOM-W satellite, processed in stages to GHRSST GDS 2.0 specifications.

Time Range

From May 2012 launch onward.

Freshness

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Geography

Global coverage.