A Conical-Scanning Microwave Limb Sounder for Atmospheric Measurements

We describe a novel scanning microwave limb sounder (SMLS) instrument that performs rapid and broad azimuth conical scans of Earth's limb while simultaneously scanning the limb in the vertical. This azimuthal scanning capability gives dramatic improvement in temporal and spatial coverage over t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE journal of microwaves 2024-10, Vol.4 (4), p.836-846
Main Authors: Waters, Joe W., Livesey, Nathaniel J., Santee, Michelle L., Stek, Paul C., Cofield, Richard E., Siegel, Peter H., Jiang, Jonathan H., Li, Qinbin, Manney, Gloria L., Read, William G., Waliser, Duane E., Wu, Dong L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric measurements
Azimuth
Climate change
cloud ice measurements
Environmental monitoring
Extraterrestrial measurements
Geophysical measurements
global climate variable
Ice clouds
Ice thickness
Microwave integrated circuits
Microwave limb sounding
Microwave measurement
microwave remote sensing
Microwave theory and techniques
microwaves in climate change
Orbits
ozone monitoring
Pollution measurement
pollution measurements
Remote sensing
Temperature measurement
temperature profiling
Time measurement
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Summary:We describe a novel scanning microwave limb sounder (SMLS) instrument that performs rapid and broad azimuth conical scans of Earth's limb while simultaneously scanning the limb in the vertical. This azimuthal scanning capability gives dramatic improvement in temporal and spatial coverage over that of previous limb sounding instruments. In a 1500-kilometer altitude, 52°-inclination Earth orbit, SMLS provides 6-8 vertical profile measurements separated by 1.9 hours every 24 hours everywhere between ±65° latitude, and 2-4 such measurements everywhere between ±(65-82°). Horizontal resolution is ∼50×50 km. Vertical resolution is ∼2 km for water vapor and cloud ice and ∼1-3 km for chemical species. In an equatorial orbit, emphasizing the tropics and subtropics, SMLS produces profile measurements every 1.9 hours everywhere between ±35° latitude. SMLS measurements address scientific issues of relevance to the upper troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and lower thermosphere regions of the atmosphere (heights from ∼10 km to ∼100 km).
ISSN:2692-8388
2692-8388
DOI:10.1109/JMW.2024.3484352