BackForwardInstrument:  AMSR2 

Instrument details
Acronym AMSR2
Full name Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - 2
Purpose Multi-purpose MW imager
Short description Large antenna, 7 frequencies / 16 channels in the range 6.9 to 89 GHz, window channels only [see detailed characteristics below]
Background Follow-on of AMSR flown on ADEOS-2 and AMSR-E on EOS-Aqua
Scanning Technique Conical: 55° zenith angle; swath: 1450 km - Scan rate: 40 scan/min = 10 km/scan. Channel 89 GHz, that subtends smaller IFOV, is sampled by two parallel scans for image continuity reasons.
Resolution Changing with frequency, consistent with an antenna diameter of  2 m
Coverage / Cycle Global coverage once/day
Mass 320 kg Power 400 W Data Rate 130 kbps

 

Providing Agency JAXA
Instrument Maturity Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period: 2012 to 2024
Last update: 2022-11-02
Detailed characteristics

No.

Central frequency (GHz)

Bandwidth (MHz)

Polarisation

NEΔT

IFOV

Pixel

1

6.925

350

V

0.3 K

35x62 km

10x10 km

2

6.925

350

H

0.3 K

35x62 km

10x10 km

3

7.3

350

V

0.3 K

35x62 km

10x10 km

4

7.3

350

H

0.3 K

35x62 km

10x10 km

5

10.65

100

V

0.6 K

24x42 km

10x10 km

6

10.65

100

H

0.6 K

24x42 km

10x10 km

7

18.7

200

V

0.6 K

14x22 km

10x10 km

8

18.7

200

H

0.6 K

14x22 km

10x10 km

9

23.8

400

V

0.6 K

11x19 km

10x10 km

10

23.8

400

H

0.6 K

11x19 km

10x10 km

11

36.5

1000

V

0.6 K

7x12 km

10x10 km

12

36.5

1000

H

0.6 K

7x12 km

10x10 km

13

89.0 A

3000

V

1.1 K

3x5 km

5x5 km

14

89.0 A

3000

H

1.1 K

3x5 km

5x5 km

15

89.0 B

3000

V

1.1 K

3x5 km

5x5 km

16

89.0 B

3000

H

1.1 K

3x5 km

5x5 km

Satellites this instrument is flying on

Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates future satellites

Instrument classification
  • Earth observation instrument
  • Passive microwave radiometer
  • Conical scanning microwave radiometer
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 1
  • MW imagery [in SSO]
  • MW imager [in SSO]
  • MW imagery for surface temperature
  • MW imager for surface temperature
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • Precipitation intensity at surface (liquid or solid)
  • Sea surface temperature
  • Sea-ice cover
  • Wind speed (near surface)
Evaluation of Measurements

The following list indicates which measurements can typically be retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable, click on the respective variable.

Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Note: * Primary mission objective.
VariableRelevance for measuring this variableOperational limitationsExplanation
Accumulated precipitation (over 24 h)2 - very highPoor time sampling.. Time sampling to be interpolated by GEO.MW channels around 10, 19, 23, 37 and 90 GHz, with high spatial resolution
Biomass3 - highIndex only.. Coarse spatial resolution.Derived from differential effect of vegetation across MW frequencies around 7, 10 and 19 GHz
Cloud liquid water (CLW)3 - highNo specific limitation.MW channels around 37 and 90 GHz
Cloud liquid water (CLW) total column3 - highNo specific limitation.MW channels around 37 and 90 GHz
Land surface temperature5 - marginalCoarse spatial resolution.MW channels around 7 and 10 GHz
Long-wave Earth surface emissivity3 - highLong time series needed.MW channels around 7, 10, 19, 37 and 90 GHz. Emissivity across this MW range inferred by statistical analysis
Precipitation intensity at surface (liquid or solid)*2 - very highNo specific limitation.MW channels around 10, 19, 23, 37 and 90 GHz, to cover sea and land, heavy and light precipitation. High spatial resolution consistent with the scale of precipitation
Sea surface temperature*3 - highNo specific limitation.MW channels around 7 and 10 GHz
Snow cover2 - very highCoarse spatial resolution.MW channels around 19, 37 and 90 GHz. Higher frequencies less sensitive to emissivity from ground under snow . High resolution closer to the scale of snow fields
Snow status (wet/dry)1 - primaryCoarse spatial resolution.MW channels around 19, 37 and 90 GHz. Higher frequencies less sensitive to emissivity from ground under snow. High resolution closer to the scale of snow fields
Snow water equivalent1 - primaryCoarse spatial resolution.. Ground stations network needed.MW channels around 19, 37 and 90 GHz. Higher frequencies less sensitive to emissivity from ground under snow. High resolution closer to the scale of snow fields
Soil moisture (in the roots region)4 - fairCoarse spatial resolution.. Affected by vegetation.MW channels around 7 GHz. Assimilation process required
Soil moisture at surface3 - highCoarse spatial resolution.. Affected by vegetation.MW channels around 7 and 10 GHz
Integrated Water Vapour (IWV)1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Use of water vapour band around 23 GHz with dual polarisation. High resolution useful for tomography
Wind speed (near surface)*2 - very highOver sea only.MW channels around 7, 10, 19 and 37 GHz
Sea-ice cover*1 - primaryNo specific limitation.MW channels around 7, 10, 19, 37 and 90 GHz, with high spatial resolution for accurate contour detection
Sea-ice type4 - fairNo specific limitation.MW channels around 7, 10, 19, 37 and 90 GHz. Type interpreted as age/roughness