NOAA SSM/I and SSMIS Microwave Brightness Temperatures Climate Data Record

NOAA Climate Data Record from Colorado State University contains brightness temperatures from SSM/I and SSMIS passive microwave radiometers on nine DMSP satellites. The record spans from July 1987 to present with near-global daily coverage from roughly 15 orbits per day. Data includes brightness temperatures for seven SSM/I and 24 SSMIS channels at original sensor resolution.

Use Cases

• Analyze long-term brightness temperature trends from specific SSM/I channels for climate variability studies.
• Correlate latitude, longitude, and time fields with brightness temperature data for spatial-temporal pattern detection.
• Utilize quality flags and view angle information to filter and validate observations for sensor calibration research.
• Compare brightness temperatures across the 24 SSMIS channels to study atmospheric and surface properties.
• Integrate geolocation information and time series data for cross-sensor calibration and inter-satellite consistency checks.

Strengths

• Time series covers over 30 years from July 1987 to present.
• Data originates from nine satellites, providing multi-sensor continuity.
• Includes quality flags, updated geolocation, and corrections for known sensor issues.

Limitations

• Specific row count, file size, and exact spatial resolution per channel are unknown.
• Data has a 7 to 10 day latency, not real-time.
• Spatial resolution varies from ~50 km to ~15 km depending on channel, which may limit fine-scale analysis.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and Colorado State University.

Collection Method

Processed from Temperature Data Records (TDR) from SSM/I and SSMIS sensors on DMSP satellites, with rigorous quality control and intercalibration adjustments.

Time Range

July 1987 through present.

Freshness

Updated with a 7 to 10 day latency from present.

Geography

Near-global daily coverage from satellite swaths approximately 1400 km wide.