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The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) is a 12-channel, six-frequency passive-microwave radiometer aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite designed to study Earth’s water cycle and precipitation rate, cloud water, water vapor, sea surface winds, sea surface temperature, ice, snow, and soil moisture. AMSR-E data are used for investigating how water changes form and location, whether falling as rain or snow, evaporating from the ocean, or freezing on the sea surface, and help scientists better understand the seasonal evolution of sea ice. AMSR-E is a modified version of the AMSR sensor that flew aboard the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Advanced Earth Observing Satellite-II (ADEOS-II). JAXA provided the instrument for the Aqua satellite.

AMSR-E firts light images

AMSR-E began sending high quality data on June 1, 2002. Initial (uncalibrated) data gathered from the AMSR-E has delivered impressive pictures of the planet’s sea surface temperature from the 6.9 Ghz vertical polarization channel (top image) and brightness temperatures (bottom image) from the 89.0 Ghz vertical and horizontal polarization channels and the 23.8 Ghz vertical polarization channel, averaged over the 3-day period June 2-4, 2002. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Learn More About AMSR-E

Instrument Type

Spectrometers/ Radiometers

Instrument Subtype

Imaging Spectrometers/ Radiometers

Specifications

Resolution

Spatial

5.4 km at 89.0 GHz to 74 × 43 km at 6.9 GHz

Spectral

6 bands: 6.9 to 89 GHz with 0.3 to 1.1 K radiometric sensitivity

Temporal

1-2 days

Platforms

Aqua

Launch Date
May 4, 2002
Altitude
705 km
Inclination
98.2°

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