BackForwardInstrument:  CrIS 

Instrument details
Acronym CrIS
Full name Cross-track Infrared Sounder
Purpose Temperature/humidity sounding, coarse ozone profile and total-column green-house gases
Short description

Interferometer with three IR bands, 1305 channels in initial operation mode on SNPP (NSR). Current operation mode on SNPP and JPSS has 2211 channels with the same full spectral resolution in all three bands (FSR) (see table below). Details here
Background

New development
Scanning Technique

Cross-track: 32 steps of 48 km s.s.p., swath 2200 km - Along-track: one 48-km line every 8 s
Resolution 3 x 3 14 km IFOV covering a 48 x 48 km2 cell (average sampling distance: 16 km)
Coverage / Cycle Near-global coverage twice/day
Mass 165 kg Power 123 W Data Rate 1.5 Mbps

 

Providing Agency NOAA
Instrument Maturity Flown on operational programme
Utilization Period: 2012 to 2041
Last update: 2025-11-03
Detailed characteristics
Spectral range (µm) Spectral range (cm-1) Spectral resolution (unapodised) NSR Spectral resolution (unapodised) FSR NEΔT @ specified scene temperature
9.13 - 15.40 µm 650 - 1095 cm-1 0.625 cm-1 0.625 cm-1 0.24-0.39 K @ 287 K
5.71 - 8.26 µm 1210 - 1750 cm-1 1.25 cm-1 0.625 cm-1 0.19-0.28 K @ 287 K
3.92 - 4.64 µm 2155 - 2550 cm-1 2.5 cm-1 0.625 cm-1 0.18-0.21 K @ 287 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 optical radiometer or spectrometer
  • Cross-nadir infrared sounder, possibly including VIS channels
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 1
  • IR hyperspectral sounders [in SSO]
  • IR hyperspectral sounder [in SSO]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • Atmospheric temperature
  • Height of the top of PBL
  • Height of the tropopause
  • Integrated Water Vapour (IWV)
  • Specific humidity
  • Temperature of the tropopause
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
Atmospheric temperature*2 - very highCloud sensitive.MWIR spectrometry in the CO2 4.3 micrometer band; TIR in the CO2 15 micrometer band
C2H23 - highCloud sensitive.. Coarse vertical resolution.TIR spectrometry. C2H2 lines around 7.5 and 13.7 micrometers
C2H63 - highCloud sensitive.. Coarse vertical resolution.TIR spectrometry. C2H6 lines around 12 micrometers
CFC-113 - highCloud sensitive.. Coarse vertical resolution.TIR spectrometry. CFC-11 lines around 9.2 and 11.7 micrometers
CFC-123 - highCloud sensitive.. Coarse vertical resolution.TIR spectrometry. CFC-12 lines around 8.8 and 10.8 micrometers
ClONO23 - highCloud sensitive.. Coarse vertical resolution.MWIR and TIR spectrometry. ClONO2 lines around 5.7, 7.7 and 12.5 micrometers
Cloud cover3 - highDiscontinuous coverage.MWIR and TIR spectrometry
Cloud top height2 - very highDiscontinuous coverage.MWIR and TIR spectrometry in window and water vapour band (for emissivity) to estimate cloud top height from its temperature
Cloud top temperature1 - primaryDiscontinuous coverage.TIR spectrometry in window and water vapour band (for emissivity)
Cloud type4 - fairDiscontinuous coverage.MWIR and TIR spectrometry
CO2 mole fraction3 - highCloud sensitive.. Coarse vertical resolution.TIR spectrometry. CO2 lines around 15 micrometers
COS3 - highCloud sensitive.. Coarse vertical resolution.TIR spectrometry. COS lines around 11.6 micrometers
Downward long-wave irradiance at Earth surface1 - primaryCloud sensitive.. Highly indirect.MWIR and TIR spectrometry including water vapour and CO2 bands
H2O2 - very highCloud sensitive.. Coarse vertical resolution.MWIR/TIR spectrometry in a range centred on 6.3 micrometers
Height of the top of PBL*4 - fairCloud sensitive.MWIR and TIR spectrometry. Height of PBL top from temperature profile
Height of the tropopause*5 - marginalCloud sensitive.TIR spectrometry. Height of tropopause from temperature profile
HNO33 - highCloud sensitive.. Coarse vertical resolution.MWIR and TIR spectrometry. HNO3 lines around 5.9, 7.6 and 11.3 micrometers
Land surface temperature2 - very highCloud sensitive.. Coarse spatial resolution.MWIR and TIR spectrometry (inclusive of several narrow-bandwidth windows and absorption bands for atmospheric corrections)
Long-wave Earth surface emissivity1 - primaryCloud sensitive.. Long time series needed.MWIR and TIR spectrometry measuring land temperature in many windows. Emissivity inferred by statistical analysis
NO2 Total Column5 - marginalAlong-track only.. Cloud sensitive.TIR spectrometry. NO2 lines around 6.1 micrometers
O33 - highCloud sensitive.. Coarse vertical resolution.TIR spectrometry. Ozone band around 9.7 micrometers
O3 Total Column3 - highCloud sensitive.TIR channel(s). Ozone lines in band around 9.7 micrometers
PAN3 - highCloud sensitive.. Coarse spatial resolution.MWIR and TIR spectrometry. PAN lines around 5.7, 8.6 and 12.5 micrometers
PSC occurrence2 - very highCoarse vertical resolution.MWIR and TIR spectroscopy
Sea surface temperature1 - primaryCloud sensitive.MWIR and TIR spectrometry (inclusive of several narrow-bandwidth windows and absorption bands for atmospheric corrections)
SF63 - highCloud sensitive.. Coarse vertical resolution.TIR spectrometry. SF6 lines around 10.5 micrometers
SO23 - highCloud sensitive.. Coarse vertical resolution.TIR spectrometry. SO2 lines around 7.3 and 8.6 micrometers
SO2 Total Column4 - fairCloud sensitive.TIR spectrometry. SO2 lines around 7.3 and 8.6 micrometers
Specific humidity*1 - primaryCloud sensitive.TIR spectrometry in the water vapour band around 6.3 micrometers
Integrated Water Vapour (IWV)*2 - very highCloud sensitive.TIR spectrometry in the bands around 6.3 and above 11 micrometers
Temperature of the tropopause*4 - fairCloud sensitive.TIR spectrometry. Tropopause temperature from temperature profile
Upward spectral radiance at TOA2 - very highMissing all Short-waves.MWIR and TIR spectrometry resolving water vapour lines in the bands around 6.3 micrometers and 11 to 15 micrometers; and other greenhouse gases
Upward long-wave irradiance at TOA3 - highSpectral interpolation needed.MWIR and TIR spectrometry in the windows regions around 3.7 and 11 micrometers, and in water vapour and CO2 bands around 4,3, 6.3 and 15 micrometers
Upward long-wave irradiance at Earth surface1 - primaryCloud sensitive.. Highly indirect.MWIR and TIR channels in windows around 3.7 and 11 micrometers, and in water vapour and CO2 bands around 4,3, 6.3 and 15 micrometers
Wind (horizontal)3 - highCloud sensitive.. Limited to high latitudes.TIR spectrometry in the 6.3 micrometers band. Wind profile in clear air by tracking water vapour patches in the humidity profile