The microwave radiometer aboard ERS-1. I: Characteristics and performances

The microwave radiometer on board ERS-1 has two channels at 23.8 and 36.5 GHz. It is a nadir pointing sensor, which is aimed at the correction of the altimeter tropospheric path delay. It also provides the precipitable water and cloud liquid water along the satellite track. This paper describes the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on geoscience and remote sensing 1993-11, Vol.31 (6), p.1186-1198
Main Authors: BERNARD, R, LE CORNEC, A, EYMARD, L, TABARY, L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Meteorology
Water in the atmosphere (humidity, clouds, evaporation, precipitation)
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Summary:The microwave radiometer on board ERS-1 has two channels at 23.8 and 36.5 GHz. It is a nadir pointing sensor, which is aimed at the correction of the altimeter tropospheric path delay. It also provides the precipitable water and cloud liquid water along the satellite track. This paper describes the characteristics of the instrument and establishes its performances from ground calibration results. Using early data obtained after launch, the in-flight engineering calibration is presented, showing that the radiometer behavior is nominal. The gain stability makes it possible to reduce the noise, and the radiometer performances appear as good as specified.
ISSN:0196-2892
1558-0644