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Instrument details
Acronym
VHRR (ATS)
Full name
Very High Resolution Radiometer
Purpose
Multi-purpose imagery and wind derivation by cloud tracking
Short description
2-channel VIS/IR radiometer, 0.55-0.75 and 10.5-12.5 µm
Background
New development
Scanning Technique
Mechanical, 3-axis stabilised satellite, E-W continuous, S-N stepping
Resolution
5.5 km (VIS) and 11 km (IR)
Coverage / Cycle
Full disk in 25 min
Mass
Power
Data Rate
Providing Agency
NASA
Instrument Maturity
Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period:
1974 to 1979-08-03
Last update:
2017-03-27
Detailed characteristics
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 Moderate resolution optical imager
WIGOS Subcomponents
No WIGOS subcomponents have been defined.
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives Cloud cover Cloud top temperature Cloud type Wind (horizontal) Secondary mission objectives Aerosol volcanic ash Total Column Precipitation intensity at surface (liquid or solid) Sea surface temperature Opportunity objectives Accumulated precipitation (over 24 h) Fire fractional cover Fire radiative power Fire temperature Snow cover Soil moisture at 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
Variable Relevance for measuring this variable Operational limitations Explanation
Cloud cover 4 - fair No specific limitation. VIS and TIR channels
Cloud top temperature 5 - marginal No specific limitation. TIR window channel(s)
Cloud type 4 - fair Daylight only. VIS and TIR channels
Fire fractional cover 4 - fair Cloud sensitive.. Coarse spatial resolution. VIS and TIR channels
Fire radiative power 5 - marginal Cloud sensitive.. Coarse spatial resolution. TIR channels. Frequent sampling (GEO) enables early detection
Fire temperature 5 - marginal Cloud sensitive.. Coarse spatial resolution. TIR channels. Frequent sampling (GEO) enables early detection
Precipitation intensity at surface (liquid or solid) 3 - high Convective precipitation dominant.. Calibration by MW needed. TIR channel(s) in the 11 micrometers window. Frequent sampling (GEO) consistent with precipitation temporal variability
Sea surface temperature 5 - marginal Cloud sensitive. TIR window channel(s) around 11 micrometers .
Snow cover 5 - marginal Cloud sensitive.. Daylight only. VIS channel(s). Frequent sampling (GEO) improves probability of cloud-free views
Soil moisture at surface 4 - fair Cloud sensitive.. Index only. VIS and TIR window channels. Soil moisture inferred from thermal inertia, that is accurately measured by frequent sampling (GEO)
Aerosol volcanic ash Total Column 1 - primary Cloud sensitive. TIR channel(s). Frequent sampling (GEO) enables early detection of ash plumes
Wind (horizontal) 4 - fair Cloud or water vapour tracers needed. VIS channel(s) and TIR channel(s) around 11 micrometers window. Frequent sampling (GEO) enables inference from cloud motion
Accumulated precipitation (over 24 h) 4 - fair Convective precipitation dominant.. Calibration by MW needed. TIR channel(s) in the 10-13 micrometers range. Frequent sampling (GEO) is essential for accumulated precipitation.
Instrument: VHRR (ATS)