Microwave Spectrometer on the Nimbus 5 Satellite: Meteorological and Geophysical Data

Abstract

The Nimbus 5 microwave spectrometer has been used to measure thermal radiation in five frequency bands between 22.235 and 58.8 gigahertz, and has yielded both the temperature profile and, over ocean, the vapor and liquid water content of the terrestrial atmosphere, even in overcast conditions. Information has also been obtained on geophysical parameters that affect the surface emissivity, such as ice type, sea roughness, and snow cover. The experiment demonstrates the considerable potential of passive microwave sensing of meteorological and geophysical parameters.

Outlook for Improved Numerical Weather Prediction Using Satellite Data with a Special Emphasis on the Hydrological Variables,

“…The first experimental space-borne microwave sounder was the NIMBUS E Microwave Spectrometer (NEMS) aboard NIMBUS 5 (Staelin et al, 1973). Its application to temperature retrievals is discussed by Waters et al (1975).…”

Neural network Jacobian analysis for high-resolution profiling of the atmosphere

“…Three-dimensional (3D) measurements of the Earth's surface and atmospheric thermodynamic state (temperature, moisture, pressure, precipitation, and so forth) have been made indirectly from satellite measurements for many years [1,2]. These measurements are inferred from direct observations of upwelling thermal emission and scattered radiance in microwave and infrared spectral regions, typically near the peaks and troughs of atmospheric absorption lines due largely to molecular oxygen, water vapor, and carbon dioxide.…”

Estimation and control for a sensor moving along a one-dimensional track

“…For example, small variations in the gravitational field of the earth are often measured and mapped using data obtained from ships which travel along prescribed trajectories [1,2]. Another important context in which this kind of problem arises is in the remote sensing of atmospheric variables using instruments carried in a satellite [3][4][5][6], and a final related application in the processing of blurred images obtained from moving cameras [7].…”