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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

The effect of turbulence on atmospheric gradient parameters estimated from ground-based radiometric and space geodetic measurements

A straightforward expression for the covariance of a general vector of atmospheric parameters is employed to calculate the effects of estimates of spatial gradients for a frozen Kolmogorov turbulence field moving over a site at constant velocities. Numerical calculations are performed to investigate the implications for three techniques: ground-based microwave radiometry, geodesy with the Global Positioning System, and VLBI. It is found that a prevailing wind with no true static gradients may give rise to apparent azimuthal asymmetries when gradient parameters are estimated. The standard deviation of the estimated north gradient parameter as a function of wind direction, for various wind speeds, is illustrated.

Davis, James L.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Large area mapping of soil moisture using the ESTAR passive microwave radiometer

Investigations designed to study land surface hydrologic-atmospheric interactions, showing the potential of L band passive microwave radiometry for measuring surface soil moisture over large areas, are discussed. Satisfying the data needs of these investigations requires the ability to map large areas rapidly. With aircraft systems this means a need for more beam positions over a wider swath on each flightline. For satellite systems the essential problem is resolution. Both of these needs are currently being addressed through the development and verification of Electronically Scanned Thinned Array Radiometer (ESTAR) technology. The ESTAR L band radiometer was evaluated for soil moisture mapping applications in two studies. The first was conducted over the semiarid rangeland Walnut Gulch watershed located in south eastern Arizona (U.S.). The second was performed in the subhumid Little Washita watershed in south west Oklahoma (U.S.). Both tests showed that the ESTAR is capable of providing soil moisture with the same level of accuracy as existing systems.

Jackson, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Noise Diode Stability Measurements Using a 4.3 GHz Laboratory Radiometer

The need for passive microwave radiometry using aperture synthesis and phased arrays for large apertures requiring more stability has generated several studies. The in-flight calibration and, therefore, the stability of such systems is an important design consideration. A 4.3 GHz laboratory radiometry operating in a balanced Dicke mode has been developed for making precise brightness (noise) temperature measurements. The stability of the noise diode source used in the noise-injection loop is of interest. A statistical Allan variance method to characterize the stability of the radiometer and the noise diode is presented in this paper. Noise measurements which demonstrate this approach are also included.

Scherner, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Validation of Surface Skin Temperature and Moisture Profiles Using Satellite Data

New validation techniques and metrics using satellite data have been developed to evaluate the quality of model-based estimates of surface skin temperature (Tg) and moisture profiles (q). The satellite data consist of clear sky outgoing long-wave radiation (CLR), broadband radiances from 8 to 12 mu (RadWn), brightness temperature centered around 10.8 mu (Tbb), and total precipitable water (TPW) from microwave radiometry. We show that CLR can be used to diagnose Tg. Furthermore, by using a combination of CLR and RadWn from CERES-TRMM measurements and TPW from SSM/I, we are able to identify errors in the moisture profile. Finally, three-hourly Tbb from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project can be used to evaluate the amplitude and diurnal variation of Tg. For purpose of illustration, Tg and q are evaluated from runs with an early version of the Goddard Earth Observing System Data Assimilation System (GEOS-2). It is found that, in general, Tg is too cold in the winter hemisphere and q is too wet in the upper atmosphere. In order to address these deficiencies, several improvements have been implemented into GEOS-2, including a Land-Surface-Model, a Moist Turbulence Scheme, and the assimilation of new TOVS retrievals. Preliminary results indicate positive impacts from each of these implementations.

Wu, Man Li C.↗
NASA NTRS2000

EOS Aqua AMSR-E Sea Ice Validation Program: Meltpond2000 Flight Report

This flight report describes the field component of Meltpond2000, the first in a series of Arctic and Antarctic aircraft campaigns planned as part of NASA's Earth Observing System Aqua sea ice validation program for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E). This prelaunch Arctic field campaign was carried out between June 25 and July 6, 2000 from Thule, Greenland, with the objective of quantifying the errors incurred by the AMSR-E sea ice algorithms resulting from the presence of melt ponds. A secondary objective of the mission was to develop a microwave capability to discriminate between melt ponds and seawater using low-frequency microwave radiometers. Meltpond2000 was a multiagency effort involving personnel from the Navy, NOAA, and NASA. The field component of the mission consisted of making five 8-hour flights from Thule Air Base with a Naval Air Warfare Center P-3 aircraft over portions of Baffin Bay and the Canadian Arctic. The aircraft sensors were provided and operated by the Microwave Radiometry Group of NOAA's Environmental TechnologyLaboratory. A Navy ice observer from the National Ice Center provided visual documentation of surface ice conditions during each of the flights. Two of the five flights were coordinated with Canadian scientists making surface measurements of melt ponds at an ice camp located near Resolute Bay, Canada. Coordination with the Canadians will provide additional information on surface characteristics and will be of great value in the interpretation of the aircraft and high-resolution satellite data sets.

Cavalieri, Donald J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

EOS Aqua AMSR-E Sea Ice Validation Program: Meltpond 2000 Flight Report

This flight report describes the field component of Meltpond2000, the first in a series of Arctic and Antarctic aircraft campaigns planned as part of NASA's Earth Observing System Aqua sea ice validation program for the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E). This prelaunch Arctic field campaign was carried out between June 25 and July 6, 2000 from Thule, Greenland, with the objective of quantifying the errors incurred by the AMSR-E sea ice algorithms resulting from the presence of melt ponds. A secondary objective of the mission was to develop a microwave capability to discriminate between melt ponds and seawater using low-frequency microwave radiometers. Meltpond2000 was a multiagency effort involving personnel from the Navy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and NASA. The field component of the mission consisted of making five eight-hour flights from Thule Air Base with a Naval Air Warfare Center P-3 aircraft over portions of Baffin Bay and the Canadian Arctic. The aircraft sensors were provided and operated by the Microwave Radiometry Group of NOAA's Environmental Technology Laboratory. A Navy ice observer from the National Ice Center provided visual documentation of surface ice conditions during each of the flights. Two of the five flights were coordinated with Canadian scientists making surface measurements of melt ponds at an ice camp located near Resolute Bay, Canada. Coordination with the Canadians will provide additional information on surface characteristics and will be of great value in the interpretation of the aircraft and high-resolution satellite data sets.

Cavalieri, Donald J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Real Time Monitoring of Flooding from Microwave Satellite Observations

We have developed a new method for making high-resolution flood extent maps (e.g., at the 30-100 m scale of digital elevation models) in real-time from low-resolution (20-70 km) passive microwave observations. The method builds a "flood-potential" database from elevations and historic flood imagery and uses it to create a flood-extent map consistent with the observed open water fraction. Microwave radiometric measurements are useful for flood monitoring because they sense surface water in clear-or-cloudy conditions and can provide more timely data (e.g., compared to radars) from relatively wide swath widths and an increasing number of available platforms (DMSP, ADEOS-II, Terra, NPOESS, GPM). The chief disadvantages for flood mapping are the radiometers' low resolution and the need for local calibration of the relationship between radiances and open-water fraction. We present our method for transforming microwave sensor-scale open water fraction estimates into high-resolution flood extent maps and describe 30-day flood map sequences generated during a retrospective study of the 1993 Great Midwest Flood. We discuss the method's potential improvement through as yet unimplemented algorithm enhancements and expected advancements in microwave radiometry (e.g., improved resolution and atmospheric correction).

Galantowicz, John F.↗
NASA NTRS2002

The Evolution of Spaceborne Microwave Sounders for the U.S. Polar-Orbiting Weather Satellites

The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) is the next generation space-borne microwave sounder. It is the latest and most advanced version of a series of satellite-based microwave sounders, currently under development by NASA for the future U.S. operational polar-orbiting weather satellite system, called the NPOESS (National Polar-orbiting Operational Environment Satellite System), slated to begin orbiting around the end of this decade. This paper will present a brief history of the evolution of the space-borne microwave sounders, from its early-day scientific experiments, through the operational sounder aboard today's polar orbiting weather satellites, and ending in the ATMS development. It will also describe the evolution of microwave radiometer technology that enabled the space-borne microwave radiometry, from its early versions with simple, nadir-viewing, fixed-horn antennas to the present-day scanning reflector antennas with broad-band MMIC Low Noise Amplifiers, plus on-board calibrations.

Shiue, James C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Comparison of Measured Galactic Background Radiation at L-Band with Model

Radiation from the celestial sky in the spectral window at 1.413 GHz is strong and an accurate accounting of this background radiation is needed for calibration and retrieval algorithms. Modern radio astronomy measurements in this window have been converted into a brightness temperature map of the celestial sky at L-band suitable for such applications. This paper presents a comparison of the background predicted by this map with the measurements of several modern L-band remote sensing radiometer Keywords-Galactic background, microwave radiometry; remote sensing;

LeVine, David M.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Comment on Modified Stokes Parameters

It is common practice in passive microwave remote sensing (microwave radiometry) to express observables as temperatures and in the case of polarimetric radiometry to use what are called "Modified Stokes Parameters in Brightness Temperature" to describe the scene. However, definitions with slightly different normalization (with and without division by bandwidth) have appeared in the literature. The purpose of this manuscript is to present an analysis to clarify the meaning of terms in the definition and resolve the question of the proper normalization.

Le Vine, D.M.↗
NASA NTRS2005

NASA Tech Briefs, February 2005

Topics discussed include: Instrumentation for Sensitive Gas Measurements; Apparatus for Testing Flat Specimens of Thermal Insulation; Quadrupole Ion Mass Spectrometer for Masses of 2 to 50 Da; Miniature Laser Doppler Velocimeter for Measuring Wall Shear; Coherent Laser Instrument Would Measure Range and Velocity; Printed Microinductors for Flexible Substrates; Digital Receiver for Microwave Radiometry; Printed Antennas Made Reconfigurable by Use of MEMS Switches; Traffic-Light-Preemption Vehicle-Transponder Software Module; Intersection-Controller Software Module; Central-Monitor Software Module; Estimating Effects of Multipath Propagation on GPS Signals; Parallel Adaptive Mesh Refinement Library; Predicting Noise From Aircraft Turbine-Engine Combustors; Generating Animated Displays of Spacecraft Orbits; Diagnosis and Prognosis of Weapon Systems; Training Software in Artificial-Intelligence Computing Techniques; APGEN Version 5.0; Single-Command Approach and Instrument Placement by a Robot on a Target; Three-Dimensional Audio Client Library; Isogrid Membranes for Precise, Singly Curved Reflectors; Nickel-Tin Electrode Materials for Nonaqueous Li-Ion Cells; Photocatalytic Coats in Glass Drinking-Water Bottles; Fast Laser Shutters With Low Vibratory Disturbances; Series-Connected Buck Boost Regulators; Space Physics Data Facility Web Services; Split-Resonator, Integrated-Post Vibratory Microgyroscope; Blended Buffet-Load-Alleviation System for Fighter Airplane; Gifford-McMahon/Joule-Thomson Refrigerator Cools to 2.5 K; High-Temperature, High-Load-Capacity Radial Magnetic Bearing; Fabrication of Spherical Reflectors in Outer Space; Automated Rapid Prototyping of 3D Ceramic Parts; Tissue Engineering Using Transfected Growth-Factor Genes; Automation of Vapor-Diffusion Growth of Protein Crystals; Atom Skimmers and Atom Lasers Utilizing Them; Gears Based on Carbon Nanotubes; Patched Off-Axis Bending/Twisting Actuators for Thin Mirrors; and Improving Control in a Joule-Thomson Refrigerator.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Aquarius Simulator and Cold-Sky Calibration

A numerical simulator has been developed to study remote sensing from space in the spectral window at 1.413 GHz (L-band), and it has been used to optimize the cold-sky calibration (CSC) for the Aquarius radiometers. The celestial sky is a common cold reference in microwave radiometry. It is currently being used by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite, and it is planned that, after launch, the Aquarius/SAC-D observatory will periodically rotate to view "cold sky" as part of the calibration plan. Although radiation from the celestial sky is stable and relatively well known, it varies with location. In addition, radiation from the Earth below contributes to the measured signal through the antenna back lobes and also varies along the orbit. Both effects must be taken into account for a careful calibration. The numerical simulator has been used with the Aquarius configuration (antennas and orbit) to investigate these issues and determine optimum conditions for performing a CSC. This paper provides an overview of the simulator and the analysis leading to the selection of the optimum locations for a CSC.

Le Vine, David M.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Status of the Signals of Opportunity Airborne Demonstrator (SoOp-AD)

Root zone soil moisture (RZSM) is not directly measured by any current satellite instrument, despite its importance as a key link between surface hydrology and deeper processes. Presently, model assimilation of surface measurements or indirect estimates using other methods must be used to estimate this value. Signals of Opportunity (SoOp) methods, exploiting reflected P- and S-band communication satellite signals, have many of the benefits of both active and passive microwave remote sensing. Reutilization of active transmitters, with forward-scattering geometry, presents a strong reflected signal even at orbital altitudes. Microwave radiometry is advantageous as it measures emissivity, which is directly related to dielectric constant and sensitive to water content of soil. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is used in P-band (400 MHz) for soil moisture and biomass, but faces issues in obtaining permission to transmit due to spectrum regulations, particularly over North America and Europe. A primary advantage of SAR is excellent spatial resolution. Signals-of-opportunity (SoOp) reflectometry provides a good compromise between radiometry and SAR by providing decent sensitivity and special resolution for RZSM measurements without issues of spectrum access. Further, a SoOp instrument would not be limited to operating in only a few protected frequencies and is also expected to have less susceptibility to radio-frequency interference (RFI). Although advantageous if available, SoOp techniques do not require the ability to demodulate or decode the communication signals. The SoOp instrument is receive only and therefore requires much less electrical power than a SAR and is more similar to a radiometer in receiver architecture. These unique features of SoOp circumvent past obstacles to a spaceborne P-band remote sensing mission and have the potential to enable new RZSM measurements that are not possible with present technology. We will present the latest development status of a SoOp reflectometer airborne demonstrator (SoOp-AD) operating at 250 MHz to take advantage of existing communication satellite. The instrument is currently in laboratory integration and test.

Reflectometers↗
NASA NTRS2017

Information Theoretic Evaluation of Satellite Soil Moisture Retrievals

Microwave radiometry has a long legacy of providing estimates of remotely sensed near surfacesoil moisture measurements over continental and global scales. A consistent assessment of theerrors and uncertainties associated with these retrievals is important for their effective utilization in modeling, data assimilation and end-use application environments. This article presents an evaluationof soil moisture retrieval products from AMSR-E, ASCAT, SMOS, AMSR2 and SMAPinstruments using information theory-based metrics. These metrics rely on time series analysis ofsoil moisture retrievals for estimating the measurement error, level of randomness (entropy) andregularity (complexity) of the data. The results of the study indicate that the measurement errors inthe remote sensing retrievals are significantly larger than that of the ground soil moisture measurements.The SMAP retrievals, on the other hand, were found to have reduced errors (comparable to Preprint submitted to Remote Sensing of Environment October 1, 2017those of in-situ datasets), particularly over areas with moderate vegetation. The SMAP retrievals also demonstrate high information content relative to other retrieval products, with higher levelsof complexity and reduced entropy. Finally, a joint evaluation of the entropy and complexity ofremotely sensed soil moisture products indicates that the information content of the AMSR-E, ASCAT,SMOS and AMSR2 retrievals is low, whereas SMAP retrievals show better performance. The use of information theoretic assessments is effective in quantifying the required levels of improvements needed in the remote sensing soil moisture retrievals to enhance their utility and information content.

Information theory↗
NASA NTRS2018

Utilizing Brightness Temperature Histograms for Microwave Radiometer High Frequency (150-183 Ghz) Calibration

Spaceborne microwave radiometers with high frequency channels (150-183 GHz) are important for retrieving many geophysical parameters such as snowfall, ice water path, and atmospheric water vapor profiles. In order to obtain accurate retrievals from the brightness temperature measurements, the radiometers must be properly calibrated. Several methods have been developed to analyze the on-orbit calibration, including comparisons with radiative transfer models, comparisons with radiosonde profiles, and cross-calibration with similar radiometers. This paper introduces a new method to calibrate high frequency channels that utilizes TB histograms. This new method gives an independent approach that can be used by itself to analyze radiometer calibration or in conjunction with other methods to corroborate results.

microwave radiometry↗
NASA NTRS1993

Magellan In Transition

NASA's Magellan has project mapped 98 percent of Venus' surface with synthetic-aperture imaging radar, microwave radiometry, and radar altimetry.

Magellan↗
NASA NTRS2020

Color, Composition, and Thermal Environment of Kuiper Belt Object (486958) Arrokoth

The New Horizons spacecraft flew past the Kuiper Belt object (486958) Arrokoth (also known as 2014 MU69) in January 2019. Because of the great distance to the outer Solar System and limited bandwidth, it will take until late 2020 to downlink all the spacecraft's observations back to Earth. Three papers in this issue analyze recently downlinked data, including the highest-resolution images taken during the encounter (see the Perspective by Jewitt). Spencer et al. examined Arrokoth's geology and geophysics using stereo imaging, dated the surface using impact craters, and produced a geomorphological map. Grundy et al. investigated the composition of the surface using color imaging and spectroscopic data and assessed Arrokoth's thermal emission using microwave radiometry. McKinnon et al. used simulations to determine how Arrokoth formed: Two gravitationally bound objects gently spiraled together during the formation of the Solar System. Together, these papers determine the age, composition, and formation process of the most pristine object yet visited by a spacecraft.

New Horizons spacecraft↗