This module provides background information on microwave remote sensing with polar-orbiting satellites. It reviews coverage, orbits, and data latency issues of current operational and selected research satellites and notes improvements expected in the NPP and NPOESS era. The module contrasts active vs. passive remote sensing, discusses advantages and limitations of different microwave instrument scanning strategies, and addresses viewing geometry with implications for spatial resolution and swath coverage. Finally, it offers a review of the microwave spectrum and special characteristics of microwave energy important for understanding microwave imagery and derived products. This module takes about 1 hour to complete.
Have an account?
Sign In to write a review.
No reviews yet.
* Describe the orbits and coverage of current polar-orbiting environmental satellites.
* Describe improvements in data latency with the implementation of pipeline processing and the NPOESS SafetyNet© ground system.
* State the differences between active and passive microwave remote sensing.
* Describe crosstrack, conical, and fan beam scanning strategies, the advantages and limitations of each, and their impacts on viewing geometry and spatial resolution.
* Describe the difference between window regions and absorption regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
* State the relationship between observed microwave energy, sensor field-of-view, and spatial resolution.
* Describe the basic principle of polarization, how it can affect emitted microwave radiation, and its importance for characterizing surface features and atmospheric constituents.
* Describe why water surfaces generally appear relatively cold and land surfaces appear relatively warm in the microwave.
* Describe how passive microwave observations can be used to infer ocean surface wind speed and direction.
* Describe the relationship between dielectric effect, scattering, and emissivity and its importance for microwave remote sensing.
* Name some of the remote sensing applications that rely on the dielectric effect on observed microwave radiation.
polar-orbiting satellite, polar satellite, microwave, microwave radiation, microwave energy