Imaging simulation of the microwave radiometer aboard the MICAP for sea surface salinity measurement

Sea surface salinity as an ocean variable plays an important role in various components of the water and energy cycle. Recently a Chinese space mission using a new concept of Microwave Imager Combined Active and Passive (MICAP) at L-band is proposed for the ocean salinity measurement. MICAP uses interferometric techniques for both the radiometer and the scatterometer, which adopt two kinds of linear array feeds sharing one 3×4.5 m parabolic cylinder reflector. This paper is focused on the microwave interferometric radiometer (MIR) aboard the MICAP, and discusses the imaging simulation, imaging algorithm, and instrument performance.