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Instrument: AMSU-A
Instrument details
Acronym
AMSU-A
Full name
Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit - A
Purpose
Temperature sounding in nearly-all-weather conditions
Short description
15 channels including the 54 GHz band [see detailed characteristics below]
Background
Replacing MSU flown on TIROS-N and NOAA-9 to -14. Operations on NOAA-17 stopped in 2003. AMSU-A is part of the ATOVS sounding instrument suite (Advanced TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder)
Scanning Technique
Cross-track: 30 steps of 48 km s.s.p., swath 2250 km - Along-track: one 48-km line every 8 s
Resolution
48 km IFOV
Coverage / Cycle
Near-global coverage twice/day
Mass
104 kg
Power
99 W
Data Rate
3.2 kbps
Providing Agency
NOAA
Instrument Maturity
Flown on operational programme
Utilization Period:
1998-08-15 to 2003
Last update:
2021-11-03
Detailed characteristics
No.
Central frequency (GHz)
Bandwidth (MHz)
Polarisation
NEΔT
1
23.800
270
V
0.30 K
2
31.400
180
V
0.30 K
3
50.300
180
V
0.40 K
4
52.800
400
V
0.25 K
5
53.596 ± 0.115
170
H
0.25 K
6
54.400
400
H
0.25 K
7
54.940
400
V
0.25 K
8
55.500
330
H
0.25 K
9
f0 = 57.290344
330
H
0.25 K
10
f0 ± 0.217
78
H
0.40 K
11
f0 ± 0.3222 ± 0.048
36
H
0.40 K
12
f0 ± 0.3222 ± 0.022
16
H
0.60 K
13
f0 ± 0.3222 ± 0.010
8
H
0.80 K
14
f0 ± 0.3222 ± 0.0045
3
H
1.20 K
15
89.000
6000
V
0.50 K
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 Cross-track, special or non-scanning microwave radiometer
WIGOS Subcomponents
Subcomponent 1 MW sounder [in SSO] MW cross-track upper stratospheric and mesospheric sounder
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
Secondary mission objectives Cloud ice Total Column Cloud liquid water (CLW) total column Freezing level height in clouds Integrated Water Vapour (IWV) Melting layer depth in clouds Precipitation intensity at surface (liquid or solid)
Opportunity objectives Cloud drop effective radius Cloud ice Cloud ice effective radius Cloud liquid water (CLW) Downward long-wave irradiance at Earth surface Upward long-wave irradiance at Earth surface Show all Show fewer
Tentative 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