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Instrument: AMSU-B
Instrument details
Acronym
AMSU-B
Full name
Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit - B
Purpose
Humidity sounding in nearly-all-weather conditions. Also precipitation
Short description
5 channels including the 183 GHz band [see detailed characteristics below]
Background
New development. Operations on NOAA-15 stopped in 2011. AMSU-B is part of the ATOVS sounding instrument suite (Advanced TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder)
Scanning Technique
Cross-track: 90 steps of 16 km s.s.p., swath 2250 km - Along-track: one 16-km line every 8/3 s
Resolution
16 km IFOV
Coverage / Cycle
Near-global coverage twice/day
Mass
50 kg
Power
90 W
Data Rate
60 kbps
Providing Agency
UKSA
Instrument Maturity
Flown on operational programme
Utilization Period:
1998-08-15 to 2011-03-28
Last update:
2021-06-17
Detailed characteristics
No.
Central frequency (GHz)
Bandwidth (MHz)
Polarisation
NEΔT
16
89.0
1000
V
0.37 K
17
150.0
1000
V
0.84 K
20
183.31 ± 7.0
2000
V
0.60 K
19
183.31 ± 3.0
1000
V
0.70 K
18
183.31 ± 1.0
500
V
1.06 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]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
Secondary mission objectives Cloud ice Total Column Cloud liquid water (CLW) total column Integrated Water Vapour (IWV) 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