NSSDCA ID: 1995-015A-02
Mission Name: DMSP 5D-2/F13The microwave temperature sounder, SSM/T (or SSM/T-1), is a seven-channel scanning radiometer which measures radiation in the 5- to 6-mm wavelength (50- to 60-GHz) region (specifically 50.5, 53.2, 54.35, 57.9, 58.4, 58.825, and 59.4 GHz) to provide data on the vertical temperature profile from the earth's surface to above 30 km. The SSM/T operates in the absorption band of molecular oxygen. By choosing frequencies with different absorption coefficients on the wing of the oxygen absorption band, a series of weighting functions peaking at preselected altitudes is obtained. The radiometer scans across the nadir track at seven scan positions (separated by 12 degrees) and two calibration positions (cold sky and 300 deg K). The instrument has an instantaneous field of view of 14.4 degrees. The dwell time for the crosstrack and calibration positions is 2.7 s each. The total scan period is 32 s. At nominal altitude, the subtrack spatial resolution is a circle of diameter 174 km at nadir. Toward the limb it is an ellipse of 213 x 304 km.
URL for data archive: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/dmsp/dmsp.html
Questions and comments about this experiment can be directed to: Dr. H. Kent Hills
Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Principal Investigator | Global Weather Center |