Suomi-NPP ATMS: Daily Microwave Brightness Temperature Granule Maps

22 microwave channels from the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) on the Suomi-NPP satellite provide brightness temperature measurements across a frequency range of 23.8-183.31 GHz. Data is structured as a 3D array with 135 along-track rows, 96 cross-track columns, and a third dimension for each channel, with spatial resolution varying from 16 to 75 kilometers depending on the channel. Products are generated on six-minute boundaries and aggregated into daily granule coverage maps.

Use Cases

• Atmospheric profile retrieval based on 22-channel microwave brightness temperatures.
• Cross-track scan pattern analysis using the 0.018-second scan interval and 8.3-second along-track period.
• Spatial resolution studies comparing 16 km, 32 km, and 75 km nadir footprints across different channels.
• Daily coverage assessment using the aggregated Granule Map Product in PDF format.
• Ancillary data integration for spacecraft, instrument, and geolocation information packaged with the radiance measurements.

Strengths

• Provides data from a well-defined instrument with 22 specific microwave channels ranging from 23.8 to 183.31 GHz.
• Offers explicit spatial characteristics: satellite altitude (~830 km), beam widths (1.1, 2.2, 5.2 degrees), and corresponding ground resolutions (16, 32, 75 km).
• Contains a structured 3D data array with defined dimensions (135 rows, 96 columns, 22 channels).
• Hosted on multiple authoritative platforms (NASA Earthdata, Data.gov), indicating established provenance.

Limitations

• Column names and detailed schema are unknown across all sources, limiting immediate understanding of the data structure.
• Key metadata such as dataset size, row count, and author are consistently missing or listed as 'unknown'.
• The 'last updated' field shows a future date (2026-04-09), which is a conflict and indicates potential metadata error.

Provenance

Source

GES DISC (Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center), NASA.

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing via the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) instrument on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) spacecraft.

Time Range

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Freshness

2026-04-09 22:54:36.864060 (Note: This is a future date, indicating a potential metadata error.)

Geography

Global coverage from the Suomi-NPP satellite's polar orbit.