AMSR instruments on GCOM-W1/2: Concepts and applications

The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-2 (AMSR2) will be launched as a single mission instrument onboard on the first satellite of the Water Series of Global Change Observation Mission (GCOM-W1). AMSR2 is multi-frequency, total-power microwave radiometer system with dual polarization channels for all frequency bands, and a successor of AMSR on the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite-II (ADEOS-II) and AMSR for the Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) on NASA´s Aqua satellite. Participation of GCOM-W1 on the A-Train constellation is now being coordinated. Current target launch year of GCOM-W1 is in Japanese fiscal year 2011. Although GCOM-W1 will not be capable of observing ocean surface vector winds, the future possibility of installing a U.S. provided scatterometer on GCOM-W2 is under discussion. Simultaneous active and passive microwave measurements will enhance the water cycle observation capability of the GCOM-W series.