Passive microwave remote sensing of atmospheric parameters

Passive microwave sensors are available from operational polar orbiting platforms such as the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) and the Special Sensor Water Vapor Sounder (SSM/T2) onboard the polar orbiting Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP). The sounding channels of these instruments are located between 19 and 183 GHz and provide valuable information about the atmospheric components of the hydrological cycle, i.e. water vapor, liquid water, ice and rainfall distributions. The potential of microwave measurements is demonstrated by short-term/regional applications for severe weather observations as well as longterm/global applications for climate monitoring and climate model validation. Future developments will focus on rather synergistic data integration of passive microwave and visible/infrared as well as spaceborne radar measurements to further improve the retrieval of cloud microphysical structures without lacking spatial and temporal resolution