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| AATSR | |
|---|---|
| Name | Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer |
| Mission type | Earth observation |
| Operator | European Space Agency |
| Spacecraft | Envisat |
| Launch date | 1 March 2002 |
| Launch vehicle | Ariane 5 |
| Orbit type | Sun-synchronous |
AATSR
AATSR was a spaceborne instrument aboard Envisat developed by the European Space Agency to measure global sea surface temperature and surface radiative properties. It provided continuity with earlier instruments such as the Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) aboard ERS-1 and ERS-2, supporting climate research, operational National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration programs, and intercomparisons with instruments on MetOp and NOAA-19. The instrument enabled cross-calibration efforts involving international space agencies including NASA, JAXA, and Roscosmos.
AATSR was designed to deliver high-accuracy radiometric measurements for applications across Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, Global Climate Observing System, and long-term records required by the Global Ocean Observing System. The instrument operated in multiple thermal infrared bands and visible/near-infrared channels, facilitating synergy with sensors such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, and Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor. AATSR’s mission objectives aligned with priorities set by the World Meteorological Organization and the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites.
AATSR used along-track scanning to obtain two view angles—a nadir view and a backward view—allowing correction for atmospheric path effects and improved retrievals comparable to methods developed for Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer and techniques used in Atmospheric Infrared Sounder studies. The payload included passive radiometers covering bands near 1.6 µm, 3.7 µm, 11 µm and 12 µm, building on heritage from instruments utilized in NOAA-14 and ERS-2 missions. Its optical bench and thermal control drew on engineering practices from Hubble Space Telescope instrumentation teams and manufacturing by European contractors associated with Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defence and Space. The instrument’s along-track stereo geometry was similar in concept to scanning approaches tested on SPOT and Landsat series platforms.
Absolute and relative radiometric calibration for AATSR involved vicarious methods referencing sites like the Dome C Antarctic calibration sites and desert sites used by the CERES community, cross-calibration campaigns with MODIS on Aqua and Terra, and intercomparisons with microwave SST retrievals from Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer instruments. Validation networks included in situ radiometers aboard buoys maintained by Global Drifter Program, the PIRATA array, and research cruises coordinated with institutions such as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The calibration strategy engaged metrology standards from National Physical Laboratory and collaborations with European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites teams to ensure traceability to international temperature scales.
AATSR data processing produced Level 1 radiance products, atmospheric correction streams, and Level 2 sea surface temperature maps harmonized for climate datasets used by Hadley Centre and National Centers for Environmental Information. Processing chains employed algorithms from teams at University of Oxford, University of Reading, University of Bremen, and Plymouth Marine Laboratory and were implemented within ESA’s Sentinel heritage processing frameworks. Data archives were distributed via infrastructures including ESA Earth Online and integrated into portals used by Copernicus users, linking to long-term reanalysis efforts such as ERA-Interim and ERA5. Product validation utilized match-ups with Argo profiling float temperature profiles and comparisons with reprocessed records from AVHRR.
AATSR supported climate trend detection in sea surface temperature critical to studies by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change authors and researchers at institutions like National Aeronautics and Space Administration centers, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, and the Met Office. Applications extended to studies of ocean heat content used by IPCC contributors, marine ecosystem assessments by groups at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and UNESCO IOC, and air–sea flux studies coordinated with Global Energy and Water Exchanges projects. The instrument’s aerosol and cloud-sensitive channels supported analyses by scientists at Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts to improve radiation closure and data assimilation in climate models developed at GFDL and ECMWF.
AATSR operated successfully in orbit with its mission spanning the operational lifetime of Envisat until communication was lost in 2012, prompting studies at European Space Agency and national agencies including UK Space Agency and French Space Agency on legacy data exploitation. The instrument’s heritage influenced subsequent sensor design for the Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer and contributed to calibration standards adopted in the Sentinel-3 programme managed by EUMETSAT and ESA. AATSR datasets remain integrated into climate data records produced by centers such as the UK Met Office Hadley Centre and used by researchers at NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information and academic partners worldwide.
Category:Earth observation satellites Category:European Space Agency spacecraft