This module presents an overview of space-based microwave remote sensing for environmental applications with a focus on meteorological applications. It delivers basic information on polar-orbiting satellite characteristics, current microwave instruments, and the products they provide. Special attention is given to the newer capabilities of the U.S.’s Suomi NPP (National Polar-orbiting Partnership) and future JPSS (Joint Polar Satellite System) satellites with additional information included for those missions being operated by international partners. This module also serves as an introduction to other, more in-depth modules covering the science and application of cloud, precipitation, water vapor, and land and sea surface observations.
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Describe how microwave remote sensing compliments visible and infrared observations
Describe the general spatial and temporal coverage characteristics of microwave observations taken by low earth orbiting satellites
Define data latency and explain why it occurs
Describe the data latency for current NOAA and Suomi NPP polar-orbiting satellites, and the improvements coming in the JPSS era
List several products that rely on microwave remote sensing
Explain the fundamental difference between active versus passive remote sensing
Describe the importance and impact of microwave observations on numerical weather prediction models
State the key differences between microwave and radiosonde sounding of atmospheric temperature and moisture
Describe radio frequency interference as it relates to microwave observations, its geographical distribution, and potential impact on products
microwave remote sensing, satellite meteorology, TPW, total precipitable water, CLW, cloud liquid water, precipitation rates, rain rates, snow cover, ice cover, sea ice, SST, sea surface temperature, land surface temperature, LST, tropical cyclone analysis, imager, sounder, snow water equivalent, soil moisture, polar-orbiting satellites, data latency, pipeline processing, microwave radio frequency interference, ocean surface wind vector, ocean surface wind speed, microwave remote sounding, radar altimeter, active microwave, passive microwave, Metop, Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, TRMM, TRMM Microwave Imager, TMI, PR, precipitation radar, AMSR-E, AMSR-2, GCOM, FY-3, Megha-Tropiques, MADRAS, MODIS, Global Precipitation Measurement mission, GPM, SSM/I, SSMIS, Jason, sea surface height, Joint Polar Satellite System, JPSS, National Polar-orbiting Partnership, Suomi NPP, ATMS, EDR, environmental data record, WindSat, scatterometer, NWP, numerical weather prediction
May 2012: This 2nd edition of the Microwave Remote Sensing: Overview module updates information on the satellite programs and microwave remote sensing capabilities deployed on the Suomi NPP polar-orbiting satellite and planned for future JPSS satellites. As in the original release, the module includes text, audio and accompanying graphics.
