| Instrument | Agency | Missions | Status | Type | Measurements &
applications | Technical characteristics |
AMR
Advanced Microwave Radiometer | NASA (NOAA) (CNES) (EUMETSAT) | Current: Jason-3 | Operational | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | Altimeter data to correct for errors caused by water vapour and cloud-cover. Also measures total water vapour and brightness temperature. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 18.7 GHz, 23.8 GHz, 34 GHz
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 41.6 km at 18.7 GHz, 36.1 km at 23.8 GHz, 22.9 km at 34 GHz
Best resolution: 22900 m |
| Swath width: | 120 deg cone centred on nadir |
| Accuracy: | Total water vapour: 0.2 g/sq cm, Brightness temperature: 0.15 K |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | NetCDF |
|
AMR-C
Advanced Microwave Radiometer for Climate | NASA (NOAA) (ESA) (EUMETSAT) | Current: Sentinel-6 A Michael Freilich, Sentinel-6 B
Future: Sentinel-6 C
Complete: - | Operational | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | Capabilities of the AMR with the addition of an on-board calibrator for high stability wet-tropospheric path delay correction. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 18.7, 23.8 and 34 GHz. With additional experimental high-frequency channels (90, 130, 168 GHz) for high resolution complementing the SAR mode of Poseidon-4 radar.
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 41.6 km at 18.7 GHz, 36.1 km at 23.8 GHz, 22.9 km at 34 GHz baseline channels with 5km for higher frequency experimental channels
Best resolution: 22900 m |
| Swath width: | Nadir-only viewing, associated to the JASON-CS radar altimeter |
| Accuracy: | Total water vapour: 0.2 g/sq cm, Brightness temperature: 0.15 K |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | NetCDF-4 |
|
AMR-CR
Advanced Microwave Radiometer for Climate | NASA (NOAA) (ESA) (EUMETSAT) | Current: -
Future: Sentinel CRISTAL-A, Sentinel CRISTAL-B, S3NGT-A, S3NGT-B
Complete: - | Approved | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | Capabilities of the AMR with the addition of an on-board calibrator for high stability wet-tropospheric path delay correction and a redesign with respect to AMR-C (i.e. the 3 high res MW radiometer channels at 90, 130 and 166 GHz are an integral subsystem of the instrument and not experimental as in AMR-C) |
| Waveband: | Low Frequency MW radiometer channels at 18.7, 23.8 and 34 GHz. With additional operational high-frequency channels (90, 130, 166 GHz) for high resolution complementing the SAR mode of IRIS radar.
MW, Ka-Band, K-Band |
| Spatial resolution: | 21 km at 18.7 GHz, 17 km at 23.8 GHz, 15 km at 34 GHz baseline channels, and with 5 km for 90 GHz , 4 km for 130 Ghz and 2 km for 166 GHz for the higher frequency operational channels
Best resolution: 2000 m |
| Swath width: | Nadir-only viewing associated to the CRISTAL IRIS altimeter |
| Accuracy: | TBD |
| Data Access: | |
| Data Format: | |
|
AMR-S
AMR-S Two-Beam Microwave Radiometer | NASA (UKSA) (CNES) (CSA) | Current: SWOT
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | Capabilities of the AMR with the addition of a 2nd beam to provide wet-tropospheric path delay correction within both swaths of the primary radar instrument (KaRIn) |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 18.7, 23.8 and 34 GHz.
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 41.6 km at 18.7 GHz, 36.1 km at 23.8 GHz, 22.9 km at 34 GHz baseline channels
Best resolution: 22 m |
| Swath width: | two nadir-looking beams complementing the 120Km KaRIn radar altimeter swath |
| Accuracy: | Total water vapour: 0.2 g/sq cm, Brightness temperature: 0.15 K for each of the two beams |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | NetCDF-4 |
|
AMSR2
Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 | JAXA | Current: GCOM-W
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | Measurements of water vapour, cloud liquid water, precipitation, winds, sea surface temperature, sea ice concentration, snow cover, soil moisture. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 6.925 GHz, 7.3 GHz, 10.65 GHz, 18.7 GHz, 23.8 GHz, 36.5 GHz, 89.0 GHz
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 5 - 50 km (dependent on frequency) |
| Swath width: | 1450 km (effective swath: 1618 km) |
| Accuracy: | Accuracy of the latest standard products (RMSE): Sea surface temperature: 0.5 degC, Sea ice concentration: 9%, Cloud liquid water: 0.04 kg/m2, Water vapour: 1.5 kg/m2 through total column, Sea surface wind speed 1.0 m/s, (Relative Error in %) Precipitation rate: 48 % for ocean & 86 % for land. (MAE) Snow depth: 18 cm, Soil Moisture Content: 4 %vol. See GCOM-W Product Information (https://suzaku.eorc.jaxa.jp/GCOM_W/materials/w_productinfo.html) for more detail. |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | HDF5 |
|
AMSR3
Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 3 | JAXA | Current: GOSAT-GW
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | Measurements of water vapour, cloud liquid water, precipitation including snowfall, winds, sea surface temperature, sea ice concentration, snow cover, soil moisture. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 6.925 GHz, 7.3 GHz, 10.25 GHz, 10.65 GHz, 18.7 GHz, 23.8 GHz, 36.5 GHz, 89.0 GHz, 165.5 GHz, 183.3 GHz
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 5 - 50 km (dependent on frequency) |
| Swath width: | 1535 km (effective swath) |
| Accuracy: | Target and standard accuracies for each standard product were defined from user requirements. |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | NetCDF |
|
AMSR-E
Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-EOS | JAXA (NASA) | Current: Aqua
Future: -
Complete: - | No longer operational | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | Measurements of water vapour, cloud liquid water, precipitation, winds, sea surface temperature, sea ice concentration, snow cover and soil moisture. Instrument stopped functioning 4th October 2011. |
| Waveband: | Microwave: 6.925 GHz, 10.65 GHz, 18.7 GHz, 23. 8 GHz, 36.5 GHz, 89.0 GHz
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 5 - 50 km (dependent on frequency) |
| Swath width: | 1445 km |
| Accuracy: | Reprocessing of V8 by applying the latest AMSR2 algorithms is ongoing and will be released in 2019. Accuracy of the latest standard products (V8, RMSE): Sea surface temperature: 0.54 degC, Sea ice concentration: 8%, Cloud liquid water: 0.03 kg/m2, Water vapour: 1.6 kg/m2 through total column, Sea surface wind speed 1.0 m/s, (Relative Error in %) Precipitation rate: 66 % for ocean & 91 % for land. (MAE) Snow depth: 17.7 cm, Soil Moisture Content: 5 %vol. |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | HDF4, HDF5 |
|
AOS-Sky Microwave Radiometer
Atmosphere Observing System-Sky Microwave Radiometer | NASA | Current: -
Future: AOS-Sky
Complete: - | Proposed | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | High-frequency passive microwave radiometers for measurement of ice cloud properties, including ice water path. |
| Waveband: | 89-113 GHz, 183 GHz (3 channels), 325 GHz (3 channels), 640-700 GHz (2 channels
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 10 km horizontal
Best resolution: 10000 m |
| Swath width: | >750 km |
| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | TBD |
|
COWVR
Compact Ocean Wind Vector Radiometer | USSF (NASA) | Current: STP-H8-on-ISS
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | Hosted on the ISS, COWVR measures the direction and speed of winds at the ocean surface |
| Waveband: |
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | |
| Swath width: | |
| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | |
| Data Format: | |
|
DMR
Dynamic Microwave Radiometer | NASA | Current: -
Future: INCUS
Complete: - | Being developed | Imaging multi-spectral radiometers (passive microwave) | Measures microwave radiances simultaneously with radar reflectivity pofiles for tropical convective storms |
| Waveband: | 4 frequencies between 150 and 190 GHz
MW |
| Spatial resolution: | 16 km
Best resolution: 16000 m |
| Swath width: | 1000 km |
| Accuracy: | < 5K |
| Data Access: | |
| Data Format: | |
|