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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 AACES-2 campaign has been calculated by a Fortran program based on NORAD data for 29th, Aug. 2010, and is 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
2010/09/08 4:34:47 212  
2010/09/08 15:36:43 229  
2010/09/09 3:39:37 180            
2010/09/09 14:43:04 85                  
2010/09/10 4:22:15 239  
2010/09/10 15:24:26 230 T01
2010/09/11 16:08:22 83                  
2010/09/12 4:09:46 247  
2010/09/12 15:12:11 229 P04
2010/09/13 4:53:55 92                  
2010/09/13 15:55:17 190        
2010/09/14 3:57:29 233  
2010/09/14 15:00:07 209    
2010/09/15 4:40:56 191        
2010/09/15 15:42:45 224 P05
2010/09/16 3:45:24 206      
2010/09/16 14:48:27 149              
2010/09/17 4:28:23 227  
2010/09/17 15:30:26 230  
2010/09/18 3:33:41 138                
2010/09/19 4:15:51 246  
2010/09/19 15:18:08 231  
2010/09/20 16:01:33 154 P07            
2010/09/21 4:03:27 242  
2010/09/21 15:05:57 224 P08
2010/09/22 4:47:10 155              
2010/09/22 15:48:50 211    
2010/09/23 3:51:15 223  
2010/09/23 14:54:03 187 T02        
2010/09/24 4:34:29 212  
2010/09/24 15:36:25 229  
2010/09/25 3:39:19 181          
2010/09/25 14:42:44 89                  
2010/09/26 4:21:57 238  
2010/09/26 15:24:08 230  
Created: September 2010
Last Modified: September 2010
Maintainer: YE Nan, Ye.Nan@monash.edu