Sentinel-6A MF AMR-C: Geophysical Parameters for Altimetry Corrections

Sentinel-6A Michael Freilich's Advanced Microwave Radiometer provides validated geophysical data with a 60-day latency for correcting satellite altimetry measurements. This Level 2 Non-Time Critical product includes surface type, wind speed, water vapor, and brightness temperature, interpolated to match the Poseidon-4 SAR altimeter's sampling intervals. Its parameters are analogous to those in the Jason-3 GDR product, supporting continuity in ocean observation.

Use Cases

• Correcting sea surface height measurements from the Poseidon-4 SAR altimeter using interpolated geophysical parameters.
• Analyzing ocean wind speed and water vapor distribution for climate and weather model validation.
• Classifying ocean surface type (e.g., ice, open water) from microwave brightness temperature and sigma0 data.
• Monitoring long-term trends in wet tropospheric correction for precise satellite altimetry.

Strengths

• Data is validated, indicating a quality-controlled geophysical product.
• Provides continuity with the established Jason-3 GDR product series.
• Hosted by the authoritative source, NASA, on multiple platforms.

Limitations

• Critical metadata like column names, row counts, and file sizes are unavailable across all sources.
• The 60-day latency (NTC) makes it unsuitable for near-real-time monitoring or forecasting applications.
• License is ambiguously specified as 'other-license-specified' without clear terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collected by the Advanced Microwave Radiometer (AMR-C) instrument on the Sentinel-6A Michael Freilich spacecraft.

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:22:49.689364

Geography

Global ocean coverage from the satellite's orbit.