| Instrument | Agency | Missions | Status | Type | Measurements &
applications | Technical characteristics |
AMSU-A
Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A | NOAA (UKSA) | Current: Metop-B, Metop-C
Future: -
Complete: Metop-A, NOAA-16, NOAA-17, NOAA-18, NOAA-19, NOAA-15 | Operational | Atmospheric temperature and humidity sounders | All-weather night-day temperature sounding to an altitude of 45 km. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 15 channels, 23.8 - 89.0 GHz
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 48 km
Best resolution: 48000 m |
| Swath width: | 2054 km |
| Accuracy: | Temperature profile: 2 K, humidity: 3 kg/m2, ice & snow cover: 10% |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | Native, BUFR |
|
AMSU-A
Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A | NASA | Current: Aqua
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Atmospheric temperature and humidity sounders | All-weather night-day temperature sounding to an altitude of 45 km. AMSU-A on Aqua is still partially operational, with 9 of the 15 channels working and collecting data. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 15 channels, 23.8 - 89.0 GHz
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 48 km |
| Swath width: | 2054 km |
| Accuracy: | Temperature profile: 2 K, humidity: 3 kg/m2, ice & snow cover: 10% |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | HDF-EOS |
|
ATMS
Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder | NASA (NOAA) | Current: NOAA-21
Future: JPSS-3, JPSS-4, QuickSounder, Suomi NPP, NOAA-20
Complete: - | Operational | Atmospheric temperature and humidity sounders | Collects microwave radiance data that when combined with the CrIS data will permit calculation of atmospheric temperature and water vapour profiles. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 22 bands, 23-184 GHz
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 5.2 - 1.1 deg |
| Swath width: | 2300 km |
| Accuracy: | 0.75 K - 3.60 K |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | NetCDF-4, HDF5 |
|
GEMS
GEostationary Microwave Sounder | NSMC-CMA (CNSA) | Current: -
Future: FY-4M
Complete: - | Being developed | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | The GEMS instrument onboard FY-4M conducts atmospheric, land surface and oceanic observations within the frequency band of 23.8–425 GHz. Its applications cover global and regional numerical weather prediction, monitoring of severe weather such as typhoons, as well as land and marine environmental monitoring. |
| Waveband: | 23–425 GHz frequency range, with fine-spectrum microwave channels (50–60 GHz) and Thz channels above 200 GHz, totaling 135 channels.
|
| Spatial resolution: | 60km for 50-60GHz channels, 40km for 118GHz channles,25km for 183-380Ghz,17km for 425GHz
Best resolution: 17 m |
| Swath width: | China Full Disc Scan Mode, Regional Scan Mode(2700km*3000km), Rapid Scan Mode(1500km*1500km)
|
| Accuracy: | NEDT: 0.5-1.5K
Calibration accuracy：<1.5K
|
| Data Access: | No Access |
| Data Format: | |
|
HSB
Humidity Sounder for Brazil | INPE (NASA) | Current: Aqua
Future: -
Complete: - | No longer operational | Atmospheric temperature and humidity sounders | Humidity soundings for climatological and atmospheric dynamics applications. The scan mirror motor failed on the 5th of February 2003. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 5 discreet channels in the range of 150-183 MHz
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 13.5 km |
| Swath width: | 1650 km |
| Accuracy: | Temperature: 1.0-1.2 K coverage of land and ocean surfaces, Humidity: 20% |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | HDF-EOS |
|
MHS
Microwave Humidity Sounder | EUMETSAT | Current: Metop-B, Metop-C
Future: -
Complete: Metop-A, NOAA-18, NOAA-19 | Operational | Atmospheric temperature and humidity sounders | Atmospheric humidity profiles, cloud cover, cloud liquid, water content, ice boundaries and precipitation data.
MHS on NOAA-18 is considered failed following an anomaly on 21 October 2018. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 89 GHz, 166 GHz and 3 channels near 183 GHz
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | Vertical: 3 - 7 km, Horizontal: 30 - 50 km
Best resolution: 30000 m |
| Swath width: | 1650 km |
| Accuracy: | Cloud water profile: 10 g/m2, specific humidity profile: 10 - 20% |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | BUFR |
|
MTVZA-GY
Scanning microwave imager-sounder | ROSKOSMOS (ROSHYDROMET) | Current: Meteor-M N2-4, Meteor-M N2-3
Future: Meteor-M N2-6, Meteor-M N2-5
Complete: Meteor-3M, Meteor-M N1, Meteor-M N2, Meteor-M N2-1, Meteor-M N2-2 | Operational | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | Atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles, precipitation, sea-level wind speed, snow/ice coverage. |
| Waveband: | 18.7 - 183.3 GHz, 26 channels
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 10000 - 100000 m
Best resolution: 10000 m |
| Swath width: | 1500 km |
| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | Constrained Access |
| Data Format: | |
|
MTVZA-GY-MP
Advanced Scanning microwave imager-sounder | ROSHYDROMET | Current: -
Future: Meteor-MP N1, Meteor-MP N2, Meteor-MP N3
Complete: - | Proposed | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | Atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles, precipitation, sea-level wind speed, snow/ice coverage. |
| Waveband: | 10.6 - 183.3 GHz, 26 channels
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 12 - 75 km |
| Swath width: | 2600 km |
| Accuracy: | 0.4 - 2.0 K depending on spectral band |
| Data Access: | Constrained Access |
| Data Format: | |
|
MWHS-2
Micro-Wave Humidity Sounder-2 | NSMC-CMA (CNSA) | Current: FY-3E, FY-3F, FY-3H
Future: FY-3J
Complete: FY-3C, FY-3D | Operational | Atmospheric temperature and humidity sounders | Vertical distribution of large temperature and humidity |
| Waveband: |
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 16km (183GHz) / 32km (other)
Best resolution: 16000 m |
| Swath width: | Cross-track: 98 steps of 16 km s.s.p., swath 2700 km |
| Accuracy: | <1K |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | L-1 data: HDF 5.0 |
|
MWR (AWS)
Microwave Radiometer | ESA (EUMETSAT) | Current: AWS
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Atmospheric temperature and humidity sounders | Cross-track scanning microwave radiometer. Provides measurements of atmospheric humidity and temperature. |
| Waveband: |
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 10-40 km
Best resolution: 10 m |
| Swath width: | 2000 km |
| Accuracy: | NEDT 0.3 to 1.7 K (depending on channel) radiometric bias below 1.0 K. |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | BUFR |
|