Evaluation of remote sensing system design parameters by means of propagation models and world-wide meteorological databases

A study of the evaluation of design parameters, for two remote sensing missions (MIMR and SOPRANO) planned by ESA, by means of physical models and of a world-wide meteorological database is carried out. Particular attention is focussed on the evaluation of the effect of non-rainy atmosphere components, such as water vapour, non precipitating cloud liquid water, ice and aerosols particles, on atmospheric transmittivity and brightness temperature. The effect of surface emissivity was also taken into account. The paper discusses the MIMR mission for the detection and mapping of light rain over the sea, measuring the brightness temperature at 6.8, 10.65, 18.7, 23.8, 36.5 and 89 GHz. The MIMR (Multifrequency Imaging Microwave Radiometer) is a downlooking spaceborne radiometer, looking at Earth surface with a nadir angle of 50° and measuring the upwelling brightness temperature. The author also discusses the SOPRANO mission for the limb sounding of stratospheric profiles of several trace gases in the far infrared, working in various frequency bands centered at 500, 630 and 950 GHz