Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer

Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer
Name	Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer

Contents

Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer

The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer is a spaceborne passive microwave sensor used for global measurements of atmospheric, oceanic, and cryospheric parameters. It builds on heritage from prior instruments and supports research programs led by agencies such as National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Space Agency, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Data from the instrument inform studies by institutions like National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Snow and Ice Data Center, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Overview

The instrument provides multi-frequency microwave radiometry for retrievals of sea surface temperature, soil moisture, precipitation, sea ice concentration, and atmospheric water vapor, linking observations used by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Meteorological Organization, Global Climate Observing System, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and National Centers for Environmental Prediction. Its heritage traces to earlier missions such as Special Sensor Microwave/Imager, Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor, and WindSat, while influencing successors associated with Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership and MetOp. The sensor is integrated into data assimilation systems run by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NOAA NESDIS, and research groups at Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Colorado Boulder.

The design uses conical scanning and a rotating antenna assembly similar to systems developed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Ball Aerospace, with radiometer front-ends incorporating low-noise amplifiers produced by contractors linked to Honeywell International and Raytheon Technologies. Frequency channels typically span L-band to W-band across allocations coordinated with International Telecommunication Union and calibrated against standards from National Institute of Standards and Technology. Polarimetric channels measure horizontal and vertical polarizations referenced in engineering reports from California Institute of Technology and flight hardware tested at Ames Research Center. Spatial resolution, swath width, and instantaneous field-of-view parameters are comparable to instruments on Aqua (satellite), GCOM-W1, and Fengyun series platforms, enabling synergy with sensors aboard Terra (satellite), Sentinel-3, and Jason-3.

On-orbit calibration uses cold-sky views, internal hot-load targets, and vicarious techniques coordinated with calibration teams at NASA Langley Research Center and European Space Research and Technology Centre. Algorithms for brightness temperature retrieval and geolocation use methodologies developed at University of Maryland, NOAA/NESDIS', and Ohio State University. Level 1 to Level 3 processing chains incorporate radiative transfer models such as those from National Center for Atmospheric Research and inversion schemes referenced in publications from Princeton University and University of Oxford. Cross-calibration campaigns align radiances with measurements from Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, Microwave Humidity Sounder, and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer successors, and intercomparison studies involve World Radiation Center and regional centers like European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.

The instrument underpins studies of hydrology at centers like Hydrological Research Center and International Research Institute for Climate and Society, supports sea ice monitoring by Norwegian Polar Institute and Alfred Wegener Institute, and advances precipitation climatologies used by Global Precipitation Measurement investigators. Its datasets contribute to analyses informing reports by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change working groups and support tropical cyclone research at National Hurricane Center and United States Naval Research Laboratory. Applications include assimilation into numerical weather prediction at European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and seasonal forecasting at Bureau of Meteorology (Australia), while long-term records are used by paleoclimate initiatives at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory.

Flight units have been flown on polar-orbiting and low-inclination platforms managed by operators such as National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and China National Space Administration. Integration and mission planning involved teams from Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Ball Aerospace, and industrial partners like Lockheed Martin. Mission data distribution pathways include archives at NASA Earthdata, Copernicus Programme, and national data centers including NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information and university-hosted repositories at University of Bremen.

Performance assessments are carried out by validation groups at National Snow and Ice Data Center, European Space Agency, and research laboratories at University of Michigan and Imperial College London. Limitations include surface emissivity uncertainty over heterogeneous terrain noted in studies from Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and difficulty separating precipitation phase over mixed surfaces discussed by teams at Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace and Wageningen University. Validation uses field campaigns coordinated with Global Energy and Water Exchanges and in situ networks operated by United States Geological Survey, British Antarctic Survey, and regional observation programs run by Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Category:Satellite meteorology