MWR Smear Effect: A Counts-Level Empirical Correction and Possible Causes

Author

Labanda, Martin ; Jacob, Maria Marta ; Farrar, Spencer ; Masuelli, Sergio ; Jones, Linwood

Author_Institution

, CONAE, Centro Espacial Te??filo Tabanera, Córdoba, CP, Argentina

Volume

8

Issue

12

fYear

2015

Firstpage

5468

Lastpage

5473

Abstract

The microwave radiometer (MWR) is a Dicke radiometer on board of the Aquarius (AQ)/SAC-D satellite. It was developed by Argentine space agency, Comisión Nacional De Actividades Espaciales (CONAE), and operates at 23.8 and 36.5 GHz frequencies. After MWR initially turned on, the first brightness temperature ( $text{T}_{text{B}}$ ) measurements were obtained, observing an anomalous recurrent effect when analyzing land/water crossings. The effect is present for all frequencies and earth incidence angles (EIAs) and results in a smearing of $text{T}_{text{B}}$ observations near strong contrast radiometric scenes. This paper summarizes the main features and discoveries around this anomaly leading to a general description of the problem: coupling of sequential MWR measurements. Consequently, an empirical correction algorithm is derived and validated. Also, possible causes are investigated.

Keywords

Antenna measurements; Brightness temperature; Microwave radiometry; Brightness temperatures ($text{T}_{text{B}}$); Brightness temperatures (TB); microwave radiometer (MWR); smear effect;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, IEEE Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1939-1404

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/JSTARS.2015.2448512

Filename

7180295