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Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth observing System (AMSR-E)

Source: http://aqua.nasa.gov, accessed on 28th, Apr. 2010

The AMSR-E sensor is a passive microwave radiometer operating at 6 frequencies ranging from 6.925 to 89.0GHz. Both horizontally and vertically polarized radiation are measured at each frequency with an incidence angle of 55°. The ground spatial resolution at nadir is 75 × 45km for the 6.925GHz channel (C-band). The AMSR-E is one of six sensors onboard Aqua, which was launched in 2002. It has a 1:30am/pm equator crossing orbit with 1-2 day repeat coverage. Several surface soil moisture products are available globally. AMSR-E brightness temperature data can be downloaded free of charge from the NSIDC website or other Distributed Active Archive Center's (DAAC's). While the current AMSR-E sensor continues to outlive its expected lifetime, a follow-on mission is planned by JAXA for the near future. The features of AMSR-E are summarized below. AMSR-E data can be downloaded from NASA.


Mission AMSR-E
Sensor Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth observing System (AMSR-E)
Spacecraft Aqua
Launch date 4th, May 2002
Design life 6 years
Orbit Sun-synchronous, near-polar orbit. Cross Equator at 1:30pm., acsending node.
Spacecraft operations control centre National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA)
Center frequency (GHz) 6.925 10.65 18.7 23.8 36.5 89.0
Band width (MHz) 350 100 200 400 1000 3000
Polarisation H & V
Incidence angle (°) 55
Swath (km) 1445
Spatial resolution (km) 75 × 43 51 × 29 27 × 16 32 × 18 14 × 8 6 × 4
Radiometric resolution (K) 0.3 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 1.1
Temporal resolution ~3 days at the equator and more frequently at higher latitudes

AMSR-E overpass time

AMSR-E coverage for the Murrumbidgee Catchment during the first AACES campaign have been determined from a Fortran program based on NORAD data for 6th, Nov. 2009, and are summarized in the table below. Date and time are in UTC. Aircraft flights were assumed to be conducted at 7:45 for descending overpass and 20:35 for ascending overpass.

  : Transect flight within 6 hours   : Patch flight within 6 hours
: Fully covered : Partially covered

UTC Date Start UTC Time Duration (s) Flight Patch
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2010/1/18 4:41:39 187        
2010/1/18 15:43:27 224  
2010/1/19 3:46:04 209    
2010/1/19 14:49:05 155 T00            
2010/1/20 4:29:04 227  
2010/1/20 15:31:08 229  
2010/1/21 3:34:20 143                
2010/1/22 4:16:32 246  
2010/1/22 15:18:49 231  
2010/1/23 16:02:17 148              
2010/1/24 4:04:07 243  
2010/1/24 15:06:37 225 P02
2010/1/25 4:47:52 151              
2010/1/25 15:49:31 210    
2010/1/26 3:51:55 224  
2010/1/26 14:54:42 189        
2010/1/27 4:35:10 210    
2010/1/27 15:37:05 230 P03
2010/1/28 3:39:57 185          
2010/1/28 14:43:19 98                  
2010/1/29 4:22:38 237  
2010/1/29 15:24:48 230 P04
2010/1/30 3:28:45 48                    
2010/1/30 16:08:52 65                    
2010/1/31 4:10:07 248  
2010/1/31 15:12:31 230  
2010/2/1 4:54:23 75                    
2010/2/1 15:55:39 187 T01        
2010/2/2 3:57:49 235  
2010/2/2 15:00:26 212    
2010/2/3 4:41:18 187        
2010/2/3 15:43:05 224  
2010/2/4 3:45:43 209    
2010/2/4 14:48:43 156              
2010/2/5 4:28:43 226  
2010/2/5 15:30:46 230  
2010/2/6 3:33:57 146                
2010/2/7 4:16:11 245  
2010/2/7 15:18:28 231  
2010/2/8 16:01:56 146              
2010/2/9 4:03:46 243  
2010/2/9 15:06:16 224 P07
2010/2/10 4:47:32 149              
2010/2/10 15:49:10 209    
2010/2/11 3:51:33 225  
2010/2/11 14:54:19 191 P06      
2010/2/12 4:34:49 210    
2010/2/12 15:36:44 229  
2010/2/13 3:39:35 186          
2010/2/13 14:42:56 100                  
2010/2/14 4:22:17 237  
2010/2/14 15:24:26 230 P08
2010/2/15 3:28:20 56                    
2010/2/15 16:08:32 61                    
2010/2/16 4:09:46 248  
2010/2/16 15:12:09 230  
2010/2/17 4:54:04 70                    
2010/2/17 15:55:18 185 P09        
2010/2/18 3:57:28 234 P10
2010/2/18 15:00:04 212    
2010/2/19 4:40:57 186        
2010/2/19 15:42:44 223 T02
2010/2/20 3:45:21 210    
2010/2/20 14:48:20 158              
2010/2/21 4:28:22 226  
2010/2/21 15:30:24 230  
Created: January 2010
Last Modified: August 2010
Maintainer: YE Nan, Ye.Nan@monash.edu