Remote Sensors
Overview
Remote sensing instruments are of two primary types—
active and passive. Active sensors, provide their own source of energy to illuminate the objects they observe. An active sensor emits radiation in the direction of the target to be investigated. The sensor then detects and measures the radiation that is reflected or backscattered from the target. Passive sensors, on the other hand, detect natural energy (radiation) that is emitted or reflected by the object or scene being observed. Reflected sunlight is the most common source of radiation measured by passive sensors.
Active Sensors
The majority of active sensors operate in the microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, which makes them able to penetrate the atmosphere under most conditions. An active technique views the target from either end of a baseline of known length. The change in apparent view direction (parallax) is related to the absolute distance between the instrument and target.
- Laser altimeter—An instrument that uses lidar to measure the height of the platform (spacecraft or aircraft) above the surface. The height of the platform with respect to the mean Earth’s surface is used to determine the topography of the underlying surface.
- Lidar—A light detection and ranging sensor that uses a laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) radar to transmit a light pulse and a receiver with sensitive detectors to measure the backscattered or reflected light. Distance to the object is determined by recording the time between transmitted and backscattered pulses and by using the speed of light to calculate the distance traveled.
- Radar—An active radio detection and ranging sensor that provides its own source of electromagnetic energy. An active radar sensor, whether airborne or spaceborne, emits microwave radiation in a series of pulses from an antenna. When the energy reaches the target, some of the energy is reflected back toward the sensor. This backscattered microwave radiation is detected, measured, and timed. The time required for the energy to travel to the target and return back to the sensor determines the distance or range to the target. By recording the range and magnitude of the energy reflected from all targets as the system passes by, a two-dimensional image of the surface can be produced.
- Ranging Instrument—A device that measures the distance between the instrument and a target object. Radars and altimeters work by determining the time a transmitted pulse (microwaves or light) takes to reflect from a target and return to the instrument. Another technique employs identical microwave instruments on a pair of platforms. Signals are transmitted from each instrument to the other, with the distance between the two determined from the difference between the received signal phase and transmitted (reference) phase. These are examples of active techniques. An active technique views the target from either end of a baseline of known length. The change in apparent view direction (parallax) is related to the absolute distance between the instrument and target.
- Scatterometer—A high-frequency microwave radar designed specifically to measure backscattered radiation. Over ocean surfaces, measurements of backscattered radiation in the microwave spectral region can be used to derive maps of surface wind speed and direction.
- Sounder—An instrument that measures vertical distribution of precipitation and other atmospheric characteristics such as temperature, humidity, and cloud composition.
Passive Sensors
Passive sensors include different types of radiometers and spectrometers. Most passive systems used in remote sensing applications operate in the visible, infrared, thermal infrared, and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Passive remote sensors include the following:
- Accelerometer—An instrument that measures acceleration (change in velocity per unit time). There are two general types of accelerometers. One measures translational accelerations (changes in linear motions in one or more dimensions), and the other measures angular accelerations (changes in rotation rate per unit time).
- Hyperspectral radiometer—An advanced multispectral sensor that detects hundreds of very narrow spectral bands throughout the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. This sensor’s very high spectral resolution facilitates fine discrimination between different targets based on their spectral response in each of the narrow bands.
- Imaging radiometer—A radiometer that has a scanning capability to provide a two-dimensional array of pixels from which an image may be produced. Scanning can be performed mechanically or electronically by using an array of detectors.
- Radiometer—An instrument that quantitatively measures the intensity of electromagnetic radiation in some bands within the spectrum. Usually, a radiometer is further identified by the portion of the spectrum it covers; for example, visible, infrared, or microwave.
- Sounder—An instrument that measures vertical distributions of atmospheric parameters such as temperature, pressure, and composition from multispectral information.
- Spectrometer—A device that is designed to detect, measure, and analyze the spectral content of incident electromagnetic radiation. Conventional imaging spectrometers use gratings or prisms to disperse the radiation for spectral discrimination.
- Spectroradiometer—A radiometer that measures the intensity of radiation in multiple wavelength bands (i.e., multispectral). Many times the bands are of high-spectral resolution, designed for remotely sensing specific geophysical parameters
The following tables list and describe many of the active and passive sensors whose data are supported by EOSDIS. Some of these sensors may overlap categories. They are listed by current, future, and historic missions.
Search the remote sensors tables by clicking in the search boxes below and entering in a keyword term, such as a DAAC (ASDC, NSIDC, SEDAC, etc), a platform (ABoVE, CALIPSO, LIS ISS, etc), an instrument (GRACE, MODIS, TROPOMI, etc) or science term (surface mass, snow cover, tomography, etc). The search results will narrow down the table entries applicable to the search keyword entered.
| SortAndKeyword | Platform | Sensor Type | Instrument | Type | DAAC | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Airborne | ORNL DAAC | ABoVE's science objectives are broadly focused on (1) gaining a better understanding of the vulnerability and resilience of Arctic and boreal ecosystems to environmental change in western North America, and (2) providing the scientific basis for informed decision-making to guide societal responses at local to international levels. Research for ABoVE will link field based, process-level studies with geospatial data products derived from airborne and satellite sensors, providing a foundation for improving the analysis, and modeling capabilities needed to understand and predict ecosystem responses and societal implications. | |
| 02 | Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface (AirMOSS) | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) | Radar (Active Sensor) |
ASF DAAC, ORNL DAAC | P-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) will provide calibrated polarimetric measurements that will be used to retrieve root-zone soil moisture (RZSM) over the study sites. This is a part of the Earth Ventures 1 (EV-1) programs. |
| 03 | Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) | Cloud and Aerosol Lidar (Active Sensor) |
ASDC | Two-wavelength polarization-sensitive lidar that provides high-resolution vertical profiles of aerosols and clouds. |
| 04 | Cloud-Aerosol Transport System on the International Space Station (CATS) | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) | lidar (Active Sensor) |
ASDC | Lidar remote sensing instrument that will provide range-resolved profile measurements of atmospheric aerosols and clouds from the International Space Station (ISS). |
| 05 | Aircraft |
Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Multiple instruments such as Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL), Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE), Doppler radar, NASA Portable S-band Multiparameter Weather Research Radar (NPOL), Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research and Teaching (SMART) Radars, 2nd Generation Precipitation Radar (PR-2) etc. | lidar/radar (Active Sensor) | ASDC, GHRC DAAC | Measures water vapor, aerosols, and clouds throughout the troposphere. These are multiple airborne campaigns on board NASA DC-8 and ER-2 aircraft. Some of those campaigns include the Convection And Moisture EXperiment series 4 (CAMEX-4), Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (GRIP LASE), NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (NAMMA LASE) projects etc.). Thses aircrafts also carry over 30 different sensors on board during these various airborne campaigns. |
| 06 | Global Ecosystem DynamicsInvestigation (GEDI) on the International Space Station (ISS) | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) |
lidar |
LP DAAC, ORNL DAAC | To address these core questions; Quantify the distributionof above-ground carbon at fine spatial resolution; Quantify changes in carbonresulting from disturbance and subsequent recovery; Quantify the spatial andtemporal distribution of forest structure and its relationship to habitatquality and biodiversity; Quantify the sequestration potential of foreststhrough time under changing land use and climate. |
| 07 | Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) | Radar (Active Sensor) |
GES DISC | Provides next-generation observations of rain and snow worldwide every three hours. Used to unify precipitation measurements made by an international network of partner satellites to quantify when, where, and how much it rains or snows around the world. |
| 08 | Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) |
Altimeter (Active Sensor) | NSIDC DAAC | Quantifying polar ice-sheet contributions tocurrent and recent sea-level change, as well as ice-sheet linkages to climate conditions.Quantifying regional patterns of ice-sheet changes to assess whatdrives those changes, and to improve predictive ice-sheet models. Estimatingsea-ice thickness to examine exchanges of energy, mass and moisture between theice, oceans and atmosphere. Measuring vegetation canopy height to helpresearchers estimate biomass amounts over large areas, and how the biomass ischanging. Enhancing the utility of other Earth-observation systems throughsupporting measurements. |
| 09 | Operation IceBridge (Airborne) | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), Land, Vegetation and Ice Sensor (LVIS), UTIG lidar (UTIGL), UAF Airborne Scanning Lidar (UASL) | Altimeter (Active Sensor) |
NSIDC DAAC | Largest airborne survey of Earth's polar ice ever flown. Yields a three-dimensional view of Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, ice shelves, and sea ice. Helps scientists bridge the gap in polar observations between Ice, Cloud,and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) and ICESat-2. |
| 10 | Operation IceBridge (Airborne) | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Multichannel Coherent Radar Depth Sounder (MCoRDS), Snow Radar (SR), Accumulation Radar (AR), Ku-Band Radar Altimeter (KBRA), High Capability Radar Sounder (HiCARS) | Radar (Active Sensor) |
NSIDC DAAC | Largest airborne survey of Earth's polar ice ever flown. Yields a three-dimensional view of Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, ice shelves, and sea ice. Helps scientists bridge the gap in polar observations between ICESat and ICESat-2. |
| 11 | Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 (OSTM/Jason-2) | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Poseidon-3 Altimeter (PA) | Altimeter (Active Sensor) |
PO.DAAC | Joint effort between NASA, NOAA, France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), and the European Meteorological Satellite Organisation (EUMETSAT). Provides sea surface heights for determining ocean cirulation, climate change, and sea-level rise. Uses radar altimeter mounted on low-Earth orbiting satellite Jason-2. |
| 12 | Altimetry Follow On/JASON-3 | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Laser Retro-reflector Array (LRA) | Laser Altimeter (Passive Sensor) | PO.DAAC | The LRA is a passive instrument that acts as a reference target for laser tracking measurements performed by ground stations. Laser tracking data are analyzed to calculate the satellite's altitude to within a few millimeters. |
| 13 | Altimetry Follow On/JASON-3 | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Poseidon-3B Altimeter (PA) | Altimeter (Active Sensor) | PO.DAAC | The Poseidon-3B dual-frequency (5.3 and 13.6 GHz) nadir-looking radar altimeter continues to be the key instrument in this spaceborne observation program. The objective is to map the topography of the sea surface for calculating ocean surface current velocity and to measure ocean wave height and wind speed. Poseidon-3 has a measurement precision identical to its predecessor Poseidon-2. |
| 14 | Sentinel-1 | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) | Radar (Active Sensor) |
ASF DAAC | Focused on land and ocean monitoring and composed of two polar-orbiting satellites operating day and night. Performs radar imaging, enabling them to acquire imagery regardless of the weather. |
| 15 | Sentinel-3A | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI),Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR),SAR Radar Altimeter (SRAL), MicroWave Radiometer (MWR), Precise Orbit Determination (POD) | Radiometer, Radar (Passive, Passive, Active, Passive, Passive Sensors) |
LAADS DAAC, OB.DAAC | The overall mission objectives are: to study sea-level change & sea-surface temperature mapping, water quality management, sea-ice extent and thickness mapping and numerical ocean prediction; land-cover mapping, vegetation health monitoring; glacier monitoring; Earth's thermal radiation for atmospheric applications; water resource monitoring; wildfire detection; numerical weather prediction. The Sentinel-3 missions provide data continuity for the ERS, ENVISAT and SPOT satellites. |
| 16 | Sentinel-3B | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI),Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR),SAR Radar Altimeter (SRAL), MicroWave Radiometer (MWR), Precise Orbit Determination (POD) | Radiometer, Radar (Passive, Passive, Active, Passive Sensors) | LAADS DAAC, OB.DAAC | The overall mission objectives are: to study sea-level change & sea-surface temperature mapping, water quality management, sea-ice extent and thickness mapping and numerical ocean prediction; land-cover mapping, vegetation health monitoring; glacier monitoring; Earth's thermal radiation for atmospheric applications; water resource monitoring; wildfire detection; numerical weather prediction. The Sentinel-3 missions provide data continuity for the ERS, ENVISAT and SPOT satellites. |
| 17 | Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) | Altimeters - Radar and Laser (lidar) | L-Band Radar (LBR) | Radar (Active Sensor) |
ASF DAAC, NSIDC DAAC | Orbiting observatory that measures the amount of water in the top 5 cm (2 inches) of soil everywhere on Earth's surface. |
| 18 | Aircraft | Hyperspectral Instruments | Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) | Imaging Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
ORNL DAAC | Has 224 contiguous channels, approximately 10 nm wide. Measurements are used to derive water vapor, ocean color, vegetation classification, mineral mapping, and snow and ice cover (BOREAS Project). |
| 19 | Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (CARVE) | Hyperspectral Instruments | L-band Radiometer (LBR), Nadir-Viewing Spectrometer (NVS) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
ORNL DAAC | Airborne remote sensing payload collecting detailed measurements of greenhouse gases on local to regional scales in the Alaskan Arctic. This is a part of the Earth Ventures 1 (EV-1) program. |
| 20 | Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) | Hyperspectral Instruments | Electron Spectrometer(ES) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | First US operational satellite in deep space. Monitors variable solar wind condition, provides early warning of approaching coronal mass ejections and observes phenomena on Earth including changes in ozone (O3), aerosols, dust and volcanic ash, cloud height, vegetation cover, and climate. |
| 21 | Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) |
Hyperspectral Instruments | Pulse Height Analyzer (PHA) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | First US operational satellite in deep space. Monitors variable solar wind condition, provides early warning of approaching coronal mass ejections and observes phenomena on Earth including changes in O3, aerosols, dust and volcanic ash, cloud height, vegetation cover, and climate. |
| 22 | Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) | Hyperspectral Instruments | Cross-Track Infrared Sounder(CrIS), Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES), Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS), Radiation Budget Instrument (RBI). | Radiometer, Sounder (Passive Sensor) | ASDC, GES DISC, OB.DAAC, LAADS DAAC, LP DAAC, NSIDC DAAC | To provide essential data for timely and accurate weather forecasts and for tracking environmental events such as forest fires and droughts. JPSS-1 is the first in NOAA's series of four, next-generation operational environmental satellites designed to circle the Earth in a polar orbit. The JPSS program is a partnership between NOAA and NASA that will oversee all the satellites in the JPSS series. NOAA funds and manages the program, operations and data products. NASA develops and builds the instruments, spacecraft and ground system and launches the satellites for NOAA. |
| 23 | Aircraft | Hyperspectral Instruments | Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Airborne Simulator (MAS) | Spectroradiometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC, LAADS DAAC, ORNL DAAC | The MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) is an airborne scanning spectrometer that acquires high spatial resolution imagery of cloud and surface features from its vantage point on-board a NASA ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft. This includes over 38 different campaigns such as ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES), Fourth Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX-4), Southern African Regional Science Initiative 2000 (SAFARI 2000), SSMIS series, First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) etc. |
| 24 | Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) | Hyperspectral Instruments | High-Resolution Grating Spectrometer (HRGS) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | First dedicated Earth remote sensing satellite to study atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) from space. Collects space-based global measurements of atmospheric CO2 with the precision, resolution, and coverage needed to characterize sources and sinks on regional scales. |
| 25 | Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) on the International Space Station (ISS) | Hyperspectral Instruments | High-Resolution Grating Spectrometer (HRGS) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
To Collect the space-basedmeasurements needed to quantify variations in the column averaged atmosphericcarbon dioxide (CO2) dry air mole fraction, XCO2, with the precision,resolution, and coverage needed to improve our understanding of surface CO2sources and sinks (fluxes) on regional scales (≥1000 km). OCO-3 will extend theexceptionally accurate OCO-2 data set on atmospheric carbon, which began inJuly 2014. But the new sensor uses a different vantage point. Where OCO-2 is in a polar orbit,OCO-3 will be mounted to the International Space Station, which circles Earthfrom 52 degrees north to 52 degrees south latitudes — about from London toPatagonia. Most of Earth's living things are found within these limits. Theorbit will allow OCO-3 to collect a denser data set than its predecessor overhigh-carbon regions such as the Amazon rainforest. OCO-2 has begun to revealsome of the subtle ways that carbon links everything on Earth, and OCO-3 willincrease scientists' opportunities to gain more insight into still-obscureaspects of the carbon cycle. |
| 26 | Sentinel 5P | Hyperspectral Instruments | TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) | Multispectral Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC | The main objective of the Sentinel-5P mission is to perform atmospheric measurements, with high spatio-temporal resolution, relating to air quality, climate forcing, ozone and UV radiation. The SENTINEL program will replace the current older Earth observation missions which have reached retirement, such as the ERS mission, or are currently nearing the end of their operational life span. This will ensure a continuity of data so that there are no gaps in ongoing studies. |
| 27 | Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) | Hyperspectral Instruments | Cross-Track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | Produces high-resolution, three-dimensional temperature, pressure, and moisture profiles that are used to enhance weather forecasting models. |
| 28 | Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) |
Hyperspectral Instruments | Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite (OMPS) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | Advanced suite of two hyper spectral instruments, extending the 25-plus year total-ozone and ozone-profile records. |
| 29 | Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) | Hyperspectral Instruments | Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | The SORCE Satellite orbits around the Earth accumulating solar data. Spectral measurements identify the irradiance of the sun by characterizing the Sun's energy and emissions in the form of color that can then be translated into quantities and elements of matter. SORCE measures the Sun's output with the use of state-of-the-art radiometers, spectrometers,photodiodes,detectors, and bolometers engineered into instruments mounted on a satellite observatory. |
| 30 | Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) |
Hyperspectral Instruments | Solar Stellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment (SOLSTICE) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | Measures the solar spectral irradiance of the total solar disk in the ultraviolet wavelengths from 115 to 430 nm. |
| 31 | Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-1 on the International Space Station (TSIS-1 on ISS) | Hyperspectral Instruments | Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM), Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC | Provide absolute measurements of the total solar irradiance (TSI) and spectral solar irradiance (SSI), important for accurate scientific models of climate change and solar variability. The Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) measures the TSI that is incident at the outer boundaries of the atmosphere; and the Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM) measures the SSI from 200 nm to 2400 nm (96 percent of the TSI). The TSIS TIM and SIM are heritage instruments to those on the SORCE satellite. Both were selected as part of the TSIS mission because of their unprecedented measurement accuracy and stability, and because both measurements are essential to constraining the energy input to the climate system and interpreting the response of climate to external forcing. |
| 32 | Operation IceBridge (Airborne) | Imaging Radar | Digital Mapping System (DMS), KT-19 Skin Surface Temperature Sensor (KSSTS), GPS and Navigation (GPSN) |
Imager (Active Sensor) |
NSIDC DAAC | Measures changes in Greenland and Antarctica ice sheet volume to maintain a record of data between ICESat and ICESat-2. Improves understanding and simulation of ice sheet flow and volume change by documenting glacier ice thickness, basal topography and other geophysical properties. Documents changes in sea ice thickness in the Arctic and Southern Oceans. Improves sea ice thickness data by advancing technologies for measuring surface elevation, freeboard and snow depth. |
| 33 | Ground based | Imaging Radar | Volume Imaging Lidar (VIL) | lidar (Active Sensor) | ASDC, ORNL DAAC | Determines the vertical cloud structure (FIFE, FIRE, and BOREAS projects). |
| 34 | Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) | Imaging Radar | Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) | Radar (Active Sensor) |
ASF DAAC | The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar, or UAVSAR, is an imaging radar instrument that collects key measurements of Earth deformation. When flown over the same area multiple times, it can determine how land features have changed. So far, it has been put to work studying climate change in the Arctic and examining Earth deformation after major earthquakes and volcanoes. |
| 35 | Aqua | Multispectral Instruments | Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) | Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
GHRC DAAC, NSIDC DAAC | Measures precipitation, oceanic water vapor, cloud water, near-surface wind speed, sea and land surface temperature, soil moisture, snow cover, and sea ice. Provides spatial resolutions of 5.4 km, 12 km, 21 km, 25 km, 38 km, 56 km, and 0.25 deg resolution. |
| 36 |
Aqua |
Multispectral Instruments | Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) | Broadband Scanning Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | Has four to six channels (shortwave, longwave, total). Measures atmospheric and surface energy fluxes. Provides 20 km resolution at nadir. |
| 37 |
Aqua |
Multispectral Instruments | Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) | Imaging Spectroradiometer (Passive Sensor) |
GHRC DAAC, LAADS DAAC, LP DAAC, NSIDC DAAC, OB.DAAC, ORNL DAAC, PO.DAAC |
Measures many environmental parameters (ocean and land surface temperatures, fire products, snow and ice cover, vegetation properties and dynamics, surface reflectance and emissivity, cloud and aerosol properties, atmospheric temperature and water vapor, ocean color and pigments, and ocean biological properties). Provides moderate spatial resolutions of 250 m (bands 1 and 2), 500 m (bands 3-7), and 1 km (bands 8-36). |
| 38 | Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) |
Multispectral Instruments | Imaging Infrared Radiometer (IIR) |
Imaging Infrared Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | Nadir-viewing, non-scanning imager having a 64 km swath with a pixel size of 1 km. Provides measurements at three channels in the thermal infrared window region at 8.7 mm, 10.5 mm, and 12.0 mm. |
| 39 | Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) |
Multispectral Instruments | Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) | Multispectral Microwave Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC, GHRC DAAC, NSIDC DAAC, ORNL DAAC, PO.DAAC | The instrument has seven channels and four frequencies. Measures atmospheric, ocean and terrain microwave brightness temperatures which are used to derive ocean near-surface wind speed, atmospheric integrated water vapor and cloud/rain liquid water content sea ice extent and concentration. |
| 40 | Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) | Multispectral Instruments | Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) | Imaging Camera (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | NASA received funding from NOAA to refurbish the DSCOVR spacecraft and its solar wind instruments, develop the ground segment, and manage launch and activation of DSCOVR. The Air Force funds and oversees the launch services for the spacecraft. The satellite also hosts NASA-funded secondary sensors for Earth and space science observations. The Earth science data will be processed at NASA's DSCOVR Science Operations Center and archived and distributed by NASA's Atmospheric Science Data Center. |
| 41 |
Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) |
Multispectral Instruments | National Institute of Standards and Technology Advanced Radiometer (NISTAR) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | The data collected by NISTAR on Earth's albedo, incoming short- and long-wave radiation, and outgoing long-wave radiation has never been measured from Lagrangian point 1 (L1) position before. DSCOVR's location at the L1 observing position permits long integration times because no scanning is required. Radiometric accuracy of 0.1–1.5% (varies with band) is expected, which is up to a 10-fold improvement in accuracy over current Earth-orbiting satellite data. |
| 42 | ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on International Space Station (ECOSTRESS) | Multispectral Instruments | Infrared Radiometer (IRR), Prototype HyspIRIThermal Infrared Radiometer (PHyTIR), Thermal Infrared (TIR) imager | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | LP DAAC | Identify critical thresholds of water use and water stress in key climate sensitive biomes; Detect the timing, location, and predictive factors leading to plant wateruptake decline and/or cessation over the diurnal cycle; and, measureagricultural water consumptive us over the contiguous United States (CONUS) atspatiotemporal scales applicable to improve drought estimation accuracy. |
| 43 | Aircraft |
Multispectral Instruments | Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) |
Microwave Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
GHRC DAAC | Cross-track scanning total power microwave radiometer with four channels centered at 10.7, 19.35, 37.1 and 85.5 GHz. (FIRE ACE, Teflun-B, TRMM-LBA, CAMEX-4. TCSP, TC4 projects). |
| 44 | Global Change Observation Mission(GCOM-W1) | Multispectral Instruments | Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-2 (AMSR2) | Scanning Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
NSIDC DAAC | The GCOM mission is a two series of satellites, GCOM-W for observing water circulation changes and GCOM-C for climate changes. The GCOM-W with a microwave radiometer aboard will observe precipitation, vapor amounts, wind velocity above the ocean, sea water temperature, water levels on land areas, and snow depths. |
| 45 | Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 13-15 (GOES 13-15) | Multispectral Instruments | Multi-Channel-Energy Sensor (MCES) | Imager (Passive Sensor) | PO.DAAC | The GOES Imager is a multi-Channel instrument designed to sense radiant and solar-reflected energy from sampled areas of the Earth. The multi-element spectral channels simultaneously sweep east-west and west-east along a north-to-south path by means of a two-axis mirror scan system. |
| 46 | Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Core Spacecraft (GPM) | Multispectral Instruments | GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) |
Microwave Imager (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | Improved knowledge of the Earth's water cycle and its link to climate change. New insights into precipitation microphysics, storm structures and large-scale atmospheric processes. Extended capabilities in monitoring and predicting hurricanes and other extreme weather events. Improved forecasting abilities for natural hazards, including floods, droughts and landslides. Enhanced numerical prediction skills for weather and climate. Better agricultural crop forecasting and monitoring of freshwater resources. |
| 47 | Landsat 7 | Multispectral Instruments | Enhanced Thermatic Mapper Plus (ETM+) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
LP DAAC | The Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) instrument is a fixed “whisk-broom”, eight-band, multispectral scanning radiometer capable of providing high-resolution imaging information of the Earth's surface. It detects spectrally-filtered radiation in VNIR, SWIR, LWIR and panchromatic bands from the sun-lit Earth in a 183 km wide swath when orbiting at an altitude of 705 km. |
| 48 | Operation IceBridge (Airborne) | Multispectral Instruments | Gravimeter | Gravimeter (Passive Sensor) |
NSIDC DAAC | The gravimeter measures the shape of seawater-filled cavities at the edge of some major fast-moving glaciers. Data about the amount of water under ice fills in a crucial gap in knowledge relatedto calving and melting of glaciers. Water has less mass than rock and thus exhibits a lower gravitational pull, meaning that the gravimeter can show what lies under the ice. |
| 49 | Operation IceBridge (Airborne) | Multispectral Instruments | Magnetometer | Magnetometer (Passive Sensor) |
NSIDC DAAC | Operation IceBridge also gathers data about the magnetic properties of bedrock beneath ice sheets and glaciers to help identify the type of rock present. The magnetometer, which resides in the tail boom or “stinger” on the P-3B, measures minute changes in the magnetic field below. Knowing the rock type helps improve the models of the shape of the bed. Different rock types also change the basal conditions of a glacier, so understanding more about the bedrock will tell us more about how the ice and rock will interact. |
| 50 | Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 (OSTM/Jason-2) | Multispectral Instruments | Advanced Microwave Radiometer (AMR) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
PO.DAAC | Earth's oceans are a thermostat for our planet, keeping it from heating up quickly. More than 80 percent of the heat from global warming over the past 50 years has been absorbed by the oceans. Scientists want to know how much more heat the oceans can absorb, and how the warmer water affects Earth's atmosphere. OSTM/Jason-2 will help them better calculate the oceans' ability to store heat. The mission will also allow us to better understand large-scale climate phenomena like El Niño and La Niña, which can have wide-reaching effects. OSTM/Jason-2 data will be used in applications as diverse as, for example,routing ships, improving the safety and efficiency of offshore industry operations, managing fisheries, forecast-ing hurricanes and monitoring river and lake levels. |
| 51 | Altimetry Follow On/JASON-3 | Multispectral Instruments | Advanced Microwave Radiometer-2 (AMR-2) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | PO.DAAC | Advance Microwave Radiometer measures the 18.7 GHz, 23.8 GHz and 34.0 GHz sea surface microwave brightness temperatures. The 18.7 GHz channel provides the wind induced effects in the sea surface background emissions correction. The 23.8 GHz channel measures water vapor. The 34.0 GHz channel measures the cloud liquid water to be corrected. All together the three frequencies provide the error in the satellite range measurement caused by pulse delay due to water vapor. |
| 52 | Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III-International Space Station (SAGE III-ISS) | Multispectral Instruments | Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE III-ISS) | Sun Photometer/Solar Occultation (Passive Sensor) | ASDC | Provides global, long-term measurements of key components of the Earth's atmosphere. The most important of these are the vertical distribution of aerosols and O3 from the upper troposphere through the stratosphere. In addition, SAGE-III also provides unique measurements of temperature in the stratosphere and mesosphere and profiles of trace gases such as water vapor and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) that play significant roles in atmospheric radiative and chemical processes. |
| 53 | Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) |
Multispectral Instruments | L-Band Radiometer (LBR) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
NSIDC DAAC | Using an advanced radiometer, the satellite peers beneath clouds, vegetation and other surface features to monitor water and energy fluxes, helping improve flood predictions and drought monitoring. Data from the three-year mission will play a crucial role in understanding changes in water availability, food production and other societal impacts of climate change. |
| 54 |
Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) |
Multispectral Instruments | Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | CERES products include both solar-reflected and Earth-emitted radiation from the top of the atmosphere to the Earth's surface. Cloud properties are determined using simultaneous measurements by other EOS and Suomi-NPP instruments such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Visible and Infrared Sounder (VIRS). Analyses using CERES data, build upon the foundation laid by previous missions such as NASA Langley's Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE), leading to a better understanding of the role of clouds and the energy cycle in global climate change. |
| 55 |
Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) |
Multispectral Instruments | Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) |
Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
LAADS DAAC,LP DAAC, NSIDC DAAC, OB.DAAC | Suomi-NPP is the first next generation polar-orbiting satellite in the JPSS series, and is considered the bridge between NOAA's legacy polar satellite fleet, NASA's Earth observing missions and JPSS constellation. |
| 56 |
Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) |
Multispectral Instruments | XUV Photometer System (XPS) |
Photometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | SORCE measures the Sun's output with the use of state-of-the-art radiometers, spectrometers, photodiodes, detectors, and bolometers engineered into instruments mounted on a satellite observatory. |
| 57 | Terra | Multispectral Instruments | Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) |
Multispectral radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
LP DAAC | Measures surface radiance, reflectance, emissivity, and temperature. Provides spatial resolutions of 15 m, 30 m, and 90 m. |
| 58 |
Terra |
Multispectral Instruments |
Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) |
Broadband Scanning Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | The instrument has four to six channels (shortwave, longwave, total). Measures atmospheric and surface energy fluxes. Provides 20 km resolution at nadir. |
| 59 |
Terra |
Multispectral Instruments | Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) |
Imaging Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC,ORNL DAAC | Obtains precisely calibrated images in four spectral bands, at nine different angles, to provide aerosol, cloud, and land surface data. Provides spatial resolution of 250 m to 1.1 km. |
| 60 |
Terra |
Multispectral Instruments | Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) | Imaging Spectroradiometer (Passive Sensor) |
GHRC DAAC, LAADS DAAC, LP DAAC, NSIDC DAAC, OB.DAAC, ORNL DAAC, PO.DAAC |
Measures many environmental parameters (ocean and land surface temperatures, fire products, snow and ice cover, vegetation properties and dynamics, surface reflectance and emissivity, cloud and aerosol properties, atmospheric temperature and water vapor, ocean color and pigments, and ocean biological properties). Provides moderate spatial resolutions of 250 m (bands 1 and 2), 500 m (bands 3-7), and 1 km (bands 8-36). |
| 61 | Aircraft | Polarimetric Instruments | POLarization and Directionality of the Earth's Reflectances (POLDER) | Polarimeter (Passive Sensor) |
ORNL DAAC | Measures the polarization and the directional and spectral characteristics of the solar light reflected by aerosols, clouds, and the Earth's surface (BOREAS Project). |
| 62 | Aircraft | Polarimetric Instruments | Polarimetric Scanning Radiometer (PSR) |
Microwave Polarimeter (Passive Sensor) |
GHRC DAAC | Provides fully polarimetric (four Stokes' parameters: Tv, Th, TU, and TV) imagery of upwelling thermal emissions at several of the most important microwave sensing frequencies (10.7, 18.7, 37.0, and 89.0 GHz), thus providing measurements from X to W band. |
| 63 | Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) |
Ranging Instruments | Super STAR Accelerometer (ACC) | Accelerometer (Passive Sensor) |
PO.DAAC | The Onera SuperSTAR Accelerometer measures the non-gravitational forces acting on the GRACE satellites. |
| 64 |
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) |
Ranging Instruments | K-Band Ranging System (KBR) | Ranging Instrument (Active Sensor) |
PO.DAAC | The dual-frequency KBR instrument measures the range between the GRACE satellites to extremely high precision. |
| 65 |
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE FO) |
Ranging Instruments | K-Band Ranging Instrument Assembly (KBR), Laser Ranging Interferometer (LRI) | Ranging Instrument (Active Sensor) |
PO.DAAC | Provides high-temporal-resolution gravity field measurements for the purpose of tracking large-scale water movement. GRACE-FO is the follow-on mission to GRACE, launched in 2002. |
| 66 | Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE FO) | Ranging Instruments | Super STAR Accelerometer (ACC) | Accelerometer (Passive Sensor) |
PO.DAAC | The Onera SuperSTAR Accelerometer measures the non-gravitational forces acting on the GRACE satellites. |
| 67 | Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) | Scatterometers | Delay Doppler Mapping Instrument (DDMI) | Scatterometer (Active Sensor) | PO.DAAC | Measure Ocean surface wind speed in all precipitating conditions, including those experienced in the Tropical Cyclone (TC) eyewall. Measure ocean surface wind speed in the TC inner core with sufficient frequency to resolve genesis and rapid intensification processes. This study will focus to understand the coupling between ocean surface properties, moist atmospheric thermodynamics, radiation, and convective dynamics in the inner core of a TC. |
| 68 | Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) | Single Channel/Total Power Radiometers and Imagers | Wide-Field Camera (WFC) |
Nadir Viewing Imager (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | Fixed, nadir-viewing imager with a single spectral channel covering the 620-270 nm region. |
| 69 | International Space Station-Lightning Imaging Sensor (ISS-LIS) | Single Channel/Total Power Radiometers and Imagers | Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) | Imager (Passive Sensor) | GHRC DAAC | One of the main objectives is to study the global distribution of lightning and its relationship to storm microphysics and dynamics, its dependence on regional climatic environments and their changes, its relationship to precipitation and cloud type, and the incorporation of these relationships into diagnostic and predictive models of global precipitation,the general circulation and the hydrological cycle. |
| 70 | Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) |
Single Channel/Total Power Radiometers and Imagers | Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) | Total power radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | Measures total solar irradiance. It has a wide range of potential applications. In metrology, for example, total power radiometers are used for primary-level microwave noise measurements. Standard, ambient, and unknown noise sources are connected to the radiometer input, and the respective output powers are measured. |
| 71 | Aqua | Sounding Instruments |
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) |
Sounder (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | Measures air temperature, humidity, clouds, and surface temperature. Provides spatial resolution of ~13.5 km in the IR channels and ~2.3 km in the visible. Swath retrieval products are at 50 km resolution. |
| 72 |
Aqua |
Sounding Instruments | Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) |
Sounder (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC, GHRC DAAC | The instrument has 15 channels. Measures temperature profiles in the upper atmosphere. Has a cloud filtering capability for tropospheric temperature observations. Provides spatial resolution of 40 km at nadir. |
| 73 |
Aqua |
Sounding Instruments | Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB) |
Sounder (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | The Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB) is primarily a humidity sounder providing supplementary water vapor and liquid data to be used in the cloud clearing process. HSB is a near identical copy of AMSU-B. Due to budget constraints, it implements only four passive moisture sounding channels of the five AMSU-B channels. |
| 74 |
Aura |
Sounding Instruments | High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder (HIRDLS) |
Sounder (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | Measures infrared emissions at the Earth's limb in 21 channels to obtain profiles of temperature, O3, CFCs, various other gases affecting ozone chemistry, and aerosols at 1 km vertical resolution. In addition, HIRDLS measures the location of polar stratospheric clouds. |
| 75 | Aura | Sounding Instruments | Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) |
Sounder (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | Five broad band radiometers and 28 spectrometers measure microwave thermal emission from the limb of Earth's atmosphere to derive profiles of O3, SO2, N2O, OH and other atmospheric gases, temperature, pressure, and cloud ice. |
| 76 |
Aura |
Sounding Instruments | Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) |
Multispectral Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | The Instrument has 740 wavelength bands in visible and ultraviolet. Measures total O3 and profiles of O3, N2O, SO2, and several other chemical species. |
| 77 |
Aura |
Sounding Instruments | Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) |
Imaging Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | High-resolution imaging infrared Fourier-transform spectrometer that operates in both nadir and limb-sounding modes. Provides profile measurements of O3, water vapor, carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), Nitrogen Oxide (NO), NO2, nitric acid (HNO3), CO2, and ammonia (NH3). |
| 78 | Aircraft | Sounding Instruments | High Altitude Monolithic Microwave integrated Circuit (MMIC) Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR) |
Sounder (Passive Sensor) |
GHRC DAAC | Measures vertical profiles of temperature, water vapor, from the surface to 100mb in 2-4 km layers. (CAMEX-4, NAMMA projects). |
| 79 | Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) | Sounding Instruments | Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) |
Sounder (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), a cross-track scanner with 22 channels, provides sounding observations needed to retrieve profiles of atmospheric temperature and moisture for civilian operational weather forecasting as well as continuity of these measurements for climate monitoring purposes. Available in Mirador. |
| 80 | Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) |
Sounding Instruments | Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite (OMPS) |
Sounder (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC | The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) is the next generation of back-scattered UltraViolet (BUV) radiation sensors. The first OMPS is currently aboard the Suomi-NPP spacecraft and has a dual mission to provide NOAA with critical operational O3 measurements while continuing the nearly 40 year NASA records of total column and profile O3 created by previous BUV (Backscatter Ultraviolet) sensors. |
| 81 | Terra | Sounding Instruments | Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) | Sounder (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | Measures CO and CH4 in the troposphere. Is able to collect data under cloud-free conditions. Provides horizontal resolution of ~22 km and vertical resolution of ~4 km. |
| Sort and MetaData | Platform | Instrument | Type | DAAC | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Atmospheric Carbon and Transport-America (Act-America) | Multi-Functional Fiber Laser Lidar (MFLL), High-Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL), Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL), Picarro spectrometers etc. | lidar, Spectrometer (Active Sensor, Passive Sensor) | ORNL DAAC | To advance society's ability to predict and manage future climate change by providing policy-relevant quantification and understanding of the carbon cycle. |
| 02 | Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom) | Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII), NCAR Airborne Oxygen Instrument (AO2), Airborne Tropospheric Hydrogen Oxides Sensor (ATHOS) etc. | Interferometer (Passive Sensor) | ASDC | Identify the important chemical processes that control the short-lived climate forcing agents CH4, O3, and black carbon (BC). Understand how anthropogenic emissions affect the chemical reactivity of the atmosphere on a global scale. Investigate how to improve chemistry climate modeling of these processes. Distribution of BC and other aerosols important as short lived climate forces determine the sources of new particles. Study how rapidly aerosols grow to CCN-active sizes and how well these processes are represented in models. |
| 03 | Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) | Infrared Spectrometer (IR) |
Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | Provide accurate, credible, and tested climate records that lay the groundwork for informed decisions on mitigation and adaptation policies that address the effects of climate change on society. |
| 04 |
Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) |
Radio Occultation (RO) |
Radio Occultation (Active Sensor) |
ASDC | Provide accurate, credible, and tested climate records that lay the groundwork for informed decisions on mitigation and adaptation policies that address the effects of climate change on society. |
| 05 |
Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) |
Reflected Solar Imaging Spectrometer (RS) |
Imaging Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | Provide accurate, credible, and tested climate records that lay the groundwork for informed decisions on mitigation and adaptation policies that address the effects of climate change on society. |
| 06 | COral Reef Airborne Laboratory (CORAL) | Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometyer (PRISM) | Imaging Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | OB.DAAC | A new three-year NASA field expedition will use advanced instruments on airplanes and in the water to survey more of the world's coral reefs, and in far greater detail, than ever before. The COral Reef Airborne Laboratory (CORAL) will measure the condition of these threatened ecosystems and create a unique database of uniform scale and quality. |
| 07 | The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) | Hyperspectral Instruments | Imaging Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | LPDAAC | The goal of EMIT is to advance understanding of the Earth's mineral dust cycle and its impact on radiative forcing by using state-of-the-art Earth System Models (ESMs) that are initialized with more accurate measurements of mineral dust source region composition. |
| 08 | Geostationary Carbon Observatory (GeoCARB) | TBD | TBD | TBD | GeoCarb will address a number of unanswered questions in carbon cycle science, with a focus on the Americas. For example, to what extent does the Amazonia basin remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in forests, and are methane emission estimates over the continental United States underestimated? |
| 09 | Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) | Cross-Track Infrared Sounder(CrIS), Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES), Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS), Radiation Budget Instrument (RBI) |
Radiometer, Sounder (Passive Sensor) | ASDC, GES DISC, LAADS DAAC, LP DAAC, NSIDC DAAC, OB.DAAC | Produce and deliver new satellite data, imagery and products to increase the accuracy and reliability of weather forecasting capabilities for severe weather events and phenomena— such as tropical cyclones— i.e., Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Improve our Earth's ocean and coastal applications' use of polar-orbiting satellite data. Continuing the enhancement of our long-term environmental data sets to facilitate long-term climate monitoring and prediction, and Develop our land applications. |
| 10 | Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) | TBD | TBD | ASDC (TBD) | The mission objective is to determine the relative toxicity of various particulate matter components and to assess the effects of particle size and composition on adverse birth outcomes, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and premature death. |
| 11 | NASA Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) | TBD | TBD | TBD | Use the full range of NASA satellite observations and modeling/analysis capabilities to establish the accuracy, quantitative uncertainties, and utility of products for supporting national and international policy, regulatory, and management activities. Maintain global emphasis while providing finer scale regional information, utilizing space-based and surface-based/in situ data.Develop an evolutionary approach which accommodates planned increasing capabilities in space-based measurements, modeling, and data assimilation. Harness unique capabilities of NASA centers and the NASA-funded investigator community, making use of competitive peer review wherever possible. Continue to engage with, and contribute to, related U.S. and international systems. Rapidly initiate generation and distribution of products, both for evaluation and to inform near-term policy development and planning. |
| 12 | North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES) | High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL), Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) | lidar, Spectrometer (Active Sensor, Passive Sensor) | ASDC, OB.DAAC | Major objectives are to: characterize plankton ecosystem properties during primary phases of the annual cycle in the North Atlantic and their dependence on environmental forcings. Determine how primary phases of the North Atlantic annual plankton cycle interact to recreate each year the conditions for an annual bloom. Resolve how remote marine aerosols and boundary layer clouds are influenced by plankton ecosystems in the North Atlantic. |
| 13 | NASA-ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR) | L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (L-SAR, S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (S-SAR) | Radar (Active Sensor) |
ASF DAAC | Joint mission with the Indian Space Research Organisation. Designed to observe and take measurements of some of the planet's most complex processes, including ecosystem disturbances, ice-sheet collapse, and natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides. |
| 14 | Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) | Glacier and Ice Surface Topography Interferometer (GLISTIN), in situ temperature and salinity probes (TSP), gravitometer (GVM) | Interferometer (Passive Sensor) | PO.DAAC | Facilitate to improved understanding and estimates of sea level rise by addressing the question: "To what extent are the oceans melting Greenland's ice from below?" Perform physical oceanography measurements and high resolution, high precision elevation measurements of Greenland's coastal glaciers. To provide a revolutionary dataset for modeling ocean/ice interactions and answer an important question regarding future sea level rise. |
| 15 | ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES) | Polarimeter, Radar, lidar | Radar, lidar, Polarimeter (Active Sensor, Passive Sensor) | ASDC | Determine the impact of African Biomass burning aerosol on cloud properties and the radiation balance over the South Atlantic. Acquire a process level understanding of aerosol radiation interactions and resulting cloud adjustments, as well as aerosol-cloud interactions, that can be applied globally. Improve future measurements by gathering testbed datasets that can be used to verify and refine current and future observation methods and simulation techniques. |
| 16 | Pre-Aerosol, Clouds, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) | Ocean color Instrument (OCI), Polarimeter | Polarimeter (Passive Sensor) |
OB.DAAC | Make essential global ocean color measurements. Understand the carbon cycle. Provide extended data records on clouds and aerosols. |
| 17 | Polar Radiant Energy in the Far Infrared Experiment (PREFIRE) | Miniaturized thermal infrared spectrometers on two CubeSat Satellites | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | ASDC | Major objectives are to: a) quantify snow and ice FIR emissivity spectra and their variability on seasonal scales; b) quantify the FIR greenhouse effect (GHE) and its response to seasonal variations in cloud cover and water vapor; c) quantify (a) and (b) for sub-daily melt processes. |
| 18 | Satellites for Observation and Communications (SAOCOM) | Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) | Radar (Active Sensor) |
ASF DAAC | One of the major objectives is to develop soil moisture map products for giving support to agricultural, hydrological, health applications, and emergencies in general. Planned validations with SMAP soil moisture. |
| 19 | Sentinel-5 | Ultraviolet-Visible-Near-Infrared Spectrometer (UVNS) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | TBD | The Sentinel-5 mission focuses on monitoring of trace gas concentrations and aerosols in the atmosphere to support operational services covering air-quality near-real time applications, air-quality protocol monitoring and climate protocol monitoring. |
| 20 | Sentinel-6A | TBD | TBD | GES DISC,PO.DAAC | The Sentinel-6A and the Sentinel-6B satellite will collect satellite-based measurements of oceanic surfaces between 2020 and 2030. The two satellites will carry out the measurements on a continuous basis at an altitude of roughly 1,350km. The satellites will be placed at an altitude of 1,336km at a 66° orbital position, similar to that of Jason-3.The mission objectives include the measurement of ocean topography and enabling the numerical prediction of the three-dimensional ocean in combination with marine meteorology. |
| 21 | Sentinel-6B | TBD | TBD | TBD | The Sentinel-6A and the Sentinel-6B satellite will collect satellite-based measurements of oceanic surfaces between 2020 and 2030. The two satellites will carry out the measurements on a continuous basis at an altitude of roughly 1,350km. The satellites will be placed at an altitude of 1,336km at a 66° orbital position, similar to that of Jason-3.The mission objectives include the measurement of ocean topography and enabling the numerical prediction of the three-dimensional ocean in combination with marine meteorology. |
| 22 | Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) | Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) | Radar (Active Sensor) |
PO.DAAC | Provides sea surface heights (SSH) and terrestrial water heights over a 120 km wide swath with a +/-10 km gap at the nadir track. Over the deep oceans, provide SSH within each swath with a posting every 2 km x 2 km, and a precision not to exceed 0.8 cm when averaged over the area. Over land, download the raw data for ground processing and produce a water mask able to resolve 100 meter wide rivers and lakes of 250 meter2 in size, wetlands, or reservoirs. Associated with this mask will be water level elevations with an accuracy of 10 cm and a slope accuracy of 1 cm/1 km. Cover at least 90 percent of the globe. Gaps are not to exceed 10 percent of Earth's surface. |
| 23 | Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) | TBD | TBD | GES DISC | (TROPICS) mission will provide rapid-refresh microwave measurements over the tropics that can be used to observe the thermodynamics of the troposphere and precipitation structure for storm systems at the mesoscale and synoptic scale over the entire storm lifecycle. |
| 24 | Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) | UV and Visible Offner Grating Spectrometer (UVOGS) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC | To answer several science questions: What are the temporal and spatial variations of emissions of gases and aerosols important for air quality and climate? How do physical, chemical, and dynamical processes determine tropospheric composition and air quality over spatial scales ranging from urban to continental, and temporally from diurnal to seasonal? How does air pollution drive climate forcing, and how does climate change affect air quality on a continental scale? How can observations from space improve air quality forecasts and assessments for societal benefit? How does intercontinental pollution transport affect air quality? How do episodic events (e.g., wild fires, dust outbreaks, and volcanic eruptions) affect atmospheric composition and air quality? |
| 25 | Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS) on Mission of Opportunity (MoO) | TBD | TBD | GES DISC | The TSIS-on MoO mission will provide absolute measurements of the total solar irradiance (TSI) and spectral solar irradiance (SSI), important for accurate scientific models of climate change and solar variability. NASA intends to fly TSIS-2 on the International Space Station by 2020. |
| Sort and MetaData | Platform | Instrument | Type | DAAC | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sort and Metadata | Platform | Instrument | Type | DAAC | Comments |
| 01 | Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor Satellite (ACRIMSAT) | Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor (ACRIM III) | Total Power Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | ASDC |
The purpose of the Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor III (ACRIM III) instrument is to study total solar irradiance from the Sun. The ACRIM III package is flying on a spacecraft called ACRIMSAT. ACRIMSAT data will be correlated with possible global warming data, ice cap shrinkage data, and O3 layer depletion data. |
| 02 | Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) | Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) | Radar (Active Sensor) | ASF DAAC |
Developed to contribute to the fields of mapping, precise regional land-coverage observation, disaster monitoring, and resource surveying. ALOS was a mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). |
| 03 | Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) | Panchromatic Remote Sensing Instrument for Stereo Mapping (PRISM) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | ASF DAAC |
Panchromatic radiometer with 2.5m spatial resolution that provides highly accurate digital surface model (DSM). |
| 04 | Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) | Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type 2 (AVNIR-2) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | ASF DAAC |
AVNIR-2 is a successor to AVNIR that was on board the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS), which was launched in August 1996. |
| 05 | Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) | Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
First international space platform dedicated to Earth environmental research, focused on global warming, depletion of the ozone layer, and deforestation. Launched in August 1996 and ceased to operate in June 1997. |
| 06 | Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) | Wind Scatterometer (SCAT) | Radar Scatterometer (Active Sensor) | PO.DAAC |
Dual Fan-Beam Ku Band that measures ocean vector winds at a nominal grid resolution of 25 km. |
| 07 | Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS II) | Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer | Scanning Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | NSIDC DAAC |
The ADEOS-II mission was operational for only 10 months - when an anomaly stopped all further operations on Oct. 24, 2003. Indeed a great loss in Earth observations for Japan and its partners as well as for the entire Earth observation community. |
| 08 | Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS II) | SeaWinds | Scatterometer (Active Sensor) | NSIDC DAAC, PO.DAAC | >SeaWinds is a part of the Earth Observing System (EOS) which is designed to address global environmental changes, and is a joint mission with the National Space Development Agency ofJapan (NASDA). |
| 09 | Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) | Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) | Radar (Active Sensor) | ASF DAAC, NSIDC DAAC | All-weather imaging tool able to penetrate through clouds and collect data at night. The longer wavelengths can also penetrate into the forest canopy and in extremely dry areas, through thin sand cover and dry snow pack. |
| 10 | Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D (Aquarius) | L-band radiometer (LBR), L-band scatterometer (LBS) | Radiometer, Scatterometer (Passive Sensor, Active Sensor) |
OB.DAAC, PO.DAAC |
Instrument that was aboard the Argentine Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas-D (SAC-D) spacecraft. It measured global sea surface salinity to better predict future climate conditions. SAC-D suffered a power supply failure in June 2015, ending the mission. |
| 11 | DISCOVER-AQ | Aircraft Instruments, Ground Instruments, Ozonosonde |
Imaging Infrared Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | GHRC DAAC |
Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) project. Measures air quality to distinguish between pollution high in the atmosphere and that near the surface where people live and breathe. Part of Earth Ventures 1 (EV-1) program. Final DISCOVER-AQ Flights took place Sunday, 10 August 2014. This was 4 years campaign. |
| 12 | Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) | Stratospheric Aerosol Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | ASDC |
Provides a wealth of data on the chemistry and dynamic motions of the Earth's upper troposphere and stratosphere (10-40 kilometers). |
| 13 | Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) | Earth Radiation Budget Experiment nonscanner (ERBE-NS) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | ASDC |
The ERBE nonscanner (ERBE-NS) instruments are designed to make broad spectral and spatial measurements of the earth's reflected solar and emitted radiation and to measure incident solar flux. This is accomplished by five radiometric channels: four nominally earth-viewing channels and a solar monitor channel. |
| 14 |
European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-1) |
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) | Radar (Active Sensor) | ASF DAAC |
Part of a family of multi-disciplinary Earth Observation Satellites. Emitted a radar pulse with a spherical wavefront which reflects from the surface. Measured the range using a tracker aboard. Launched in 1991 and ended in 2000. |
| 15 | European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-1) |
Active Microwave Instrument (AMI-WIND) | Microwave (Active Sensor) |
ASF DAAC |
Part of a family of multi-disciplinary Earth Observation Satellites. Emitted a radar pulse with a spherical wavefront which reflects from the surface. Measured the range using a tracker aboard. Launched in 1991 and ended in 2000. |
| 16 |
European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS-1) |
Radar Altimetry (RA) | Radar (Active Sensor) |
ASF DAAC | Part of a family of multi-disciplinary Earth Observation Satellites. Emitted a radar pulse with a spherical wavefront which reflects from the surface. Measured the range using a tracker aboard. Launched in 1991 and ended in 2000. |
| 17 | European Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-2) |
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) | Radar (Active Sensor) | ASF DAAC |
Part of a family of multi-disciplinary Earth Observation Satellites. Emitted a radar pulse with a spherical wavefront which reflects from the surface. Measured the range using a tracker aboard. Launched in 1995 and retired in 2011. |
| 18 | European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS-2) |
Active Microwave Instrument (AMI-WIND) |
Microwave (Active Sensor) |
ASF DAAC |
Part of a family of multi-disciplinary Earth Observation Satellites. Emitted a radar pulse with a spherical wavefront which reflects from the surface. Measured the range using a tracker aboard. Launched in 1995 and retired in 2011. |
| 19 |
European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS-2) |
Radar Altimetry (RA) |
Radar (Active Sensor) |
ASF DAAC | Part of a family of multi-disciplinary Earth Observation Satellites. Emitted a radar pulse with a spherical wavefront which reflects from the surface. Measured the range using a tracker aboard. Launched in 1995 and retired in 2011. |
| 20 | Geodetic Satellite (GEOSAT) | Geosat Altimeter (GA) | Altimeter (Active Sensor) |
NSIDC DAAC |
Carried an altimeter that was capable of measuring the distance from satellite to sea surface with a relative precision of about 5 cm. Ended in January 1990, due to failure of the two on-board tape recorders. |
| 21 | Geosat Follow-on (GFO) | GFO Altimeter (GA) | Altimeter (Active Sensor) | PO.DAAC |
One of the multi-satellite sensors incorporated into Ocean Surface Current Analysis Real-time (OSCAR). Data measurements from these satellites will provide scientists with better understanding of ocean circulation, ice sheet topography, and climate change. |
| 22 | Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) | Visible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer (VISSR) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | ASDC |
The VISSR imagery coverage extends roughly from ±60º in latitude and from 80º E to 160 W in longitude. In addition, the GMS satellite data represent an important link and an integral part in the WWW (World Weather Watch) program, sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). |
| 23 | Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES 1-12) | Advanced Very-High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | PO.DAAC |
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite Program (GOES) is a joint effort of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). |
| 24 | Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) | Airborne Detector for Energetic Lightning Emissions (ADELE) | Sounder (Passive Sensor) | GHRC DAAC |
Part of Earth Ventures 1 (EV-1) program. |
| 25 |
Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) |
Advanced Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) | Sounder (Passive Sensor) | GHRC DAAC |
Part of Earth Ventures 1 (EV-1) program. |
| 26 |
Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) |
Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) | lidar (Active Sensor) | GHRC DAAC |
Environmental payload includes the Cloud Physics Lidar to investigate the processes that underlie hurricane formation and intensity change in the Atlantic Ocean basin. Part of Earth Ventures 1 (EV-1) program. |
| 27 |
Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) |
Scanning High-resolution Interferometer Sounder (S-HIS) | Interferometer/Sounder (Passive Sensor) | GHRC DAAC |
Part of Earth Ventures 1 (EV-1) program. |
| 28 |
Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) |
High Altitude Wind and Rain Profiling Radar (HIWRAP) | Radar (Active Sensor) | GHRC DAAC |
Over-storm payload includes the HIWRAP conically scanning Doppler radar to investigate the processes that underlie hurricane formation and intensity change in the Atlantic Ocean basin. Part of Earth Ventures 1 (EV-1) program. |
| 29 |
Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) |
High Altitude MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits) Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | GHRC DAAC |
The High Altitude Monolithic Microwave integrated Circuit (MMIC) Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR) is a microwave atmospheric sounder developed by JPL under the NASA Instrument Incubator Program. Part of Earth Ventures 1 (EV-1) program. |
| 30 |
Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) |
Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | GHRC DAAC |
Part of Earth Ventures 1 (EV-1) program. |
| 31 | Ice, Cloud,and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) |
Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) |
Laser Altimeter (Active Sensor) |
NSIDC DAAC | The main objective was to measure ice sheet elevations and changes in elevation through time. Secondary objectives include measurement of cloud and aerosol height profiles, land elevation and vegetation cover, and sea ice thickness. Launched in January 2003 and ended in August 2010. |
| 32 | Japanese Earth Resources Satellite (JERS-1) | Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) | Radar (Active Sensor) | ASF DAAC |
Though the design life of FUYO-1 (JERS-1) was 2 years, the satellite had obtained observational data for more than 6 years, and ended the mission on October 12, 1998. |
| 33 | Joint Altimetry Satellite Oceanography Network (Jason-1) | Jason Microwave Radiometer (JMR) |
Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
PO.DAAC |
The JMR acquires measurements via three separate frequency channels to determine the path delay of the altimeter’s radar signal due to atmospheric water vapor. |
| 34 |
Joint Altimetry Satellite Oceanography Network (Jason-1) |
Poseidon-2Altimeter (Poseidon-2) | Radar Altimeter (Active Sensor) |
PO.DAAC | Measures sea level, wave height, wind speed, and ionospheric correction. Decommissioned in July 2013. |
| 35 | Meteor-3 | Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
The TOMS instrument has mapped in detail the global O3 distribution as well as the Antarctic ’ozone hole’, which forms September through November of each year. In addition to O3, TOMS has measured sulfur dioxide (SO2) released in volcanic eruptions. |
| 36 | NOAA Polar Operational Environmental Satellite (NOAA POES) |
Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) |
Sounder (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
Available in Mirador and OpenDAP. |
| 37 |
NOAA Polar Operational Environmental Satellite (NOAA POES) |
Advanced Very-High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) | Multi Spectral Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | ORNL DAAC, PO.DAAC | Has four or six bands, depending on platform. Telemetried resolutions are 1.1 km (HRPT data) and 4 km (Pathfinder V5 and GAC data). 5km, 25 km spatial resolution. |
| 38 |
NOAA Polar Operational Environmental Satellite (NOAA POES) |
Tiros Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) | Sounder (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC, NSIDC DAAC | Available in Mirador and OpenDAP. |
| 39 | Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment-III Meteor 3M (SAGE-III Meteor-3M) | Stratospheric Aerosol Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | ASDC |
The third stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE III) Meteor-3M was the EOS component of the Russian Meteor-3M mission. SAGE III provided accurate, long-term measurements of O3, aerosols, water vapor, and other key parameters of Earth's atmosphere. |
| 40 | Nimbus-7 | Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
OB.DAAC |
The most important objective of the Coastal Zone Color Scanner mission was to determine if satellite remote sensing of color could be used to identify and quantify material suspended or dissolved in ocean waters. Specifically CZCS attempted to discriminate between organic and inorganic materials in the water, determine the quantity of material and discriminate between different organic particulate types. |
| 41 |
Nimbus-7 |
Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC |
The mission had the primary goals of determining, for at least one year: the Earth's average monthly energy budget and its monthly variations, the seasonal movement of energy from the tropics to the poles, and the average daily variation in the energy budget on a regional scale (data every 160 miles). |
| 42 |
Nimbus-7 |
Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC |
The Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere experiment was launched on the NIMBUS 7 spacecraft to test the capabilities of infrared limb scanning radiometry to sound the composition and structure of the middle atmosphere. |
| 43 |
Nimbus-7 |
Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement II (SAM II) | Photometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC |
The Stratospheric Aerosol Measurement II (SAM II) experiment flew aboard the Nimbus-7 spacecraft and provided vertical profiles of aerosol extinction in both the Arctic and Antarctic polar regions. The SAM II data coverage began on October 29, 1978 and extended through December 18, 1993 until SAM II was no longer able to acquire the Sun. |
| 44 |
Nimbus-7 |
Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV), Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer II (TOMS II) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC |
Research-and-development satellite served as a stabilized, Earth-oriented platform for the testing of advanced systems for sensing and collecting data in the pollution, oceanographic and meteorological disciplines. |
| 45 |
Nimbus-7 |
Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) | Multispectral Microwave Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC, GES DISC, NSIDC DAAC, PO.DAAC |
Ten channels. Measured sea surface temperatures, ocean near-surface winds, water vapor and cloud liquid water content, sea ice extent, sea ice concentration, snow cover, snow moisture, rainfall rates, and differential of ice types. |
| 46 | OrbView-2 | Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) |
Optical Scanner (Passive Sensor) |
OB.DAAC |
OrbView-2 was also known as SeaStar - a commercial Earth observation satellite, operating SeaWiFS for NASA. Provided quantitative data on global ocean bio-optical properties. Collected data between August 1997 and February 2011. |
| 47 | QuikSCAT | SeaWinds | Radar Scatterometer | NSIDC DAAC, PO.DAAC | Dual Pencil-Beam Ku Band that measures ocean vector winds at a nominal grid resolution of 25 km. |
| 48 | Radar Satellite (RADARSAT) | Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) | Radar (Active Sensor) | ASF DAAC |
Radar Satellite (RADARSAT) is a radar satellite featuring variable resolution, and different view angles at a number of preset positions. RADARSAT collects data on resource management, ice, ocean and environmental monitoring and Arctic and off-shore surveillance. RADARSAT also supports fishing, shipping, oil exploration, offshore drilling and ocean research. The RADARSAT provides complete global coverage with the flexibility to support specific requirements. |
| 49 | Seasat 1 | Seasat-A satellite scatterometer (SASS) | Radar Scatterometer (Active Sensor) | PO.DAAC |
A microwave scatterometer was used to determine the vector wind over the world's oceans. The technique is based on the sensitivity of microwave radar backscatter to the centimeter length ocean waves created by the action of the surface wind. |
| 50 | Seasat 1 | Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
PO.DAAC |
First Earth-orbiting satellite designed for remote sensing of the Earth's oceans and carried the first spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Collected data on sea-surface winds, sea-surface temperatures, wave heights, internal waves, atmospheric water, sea ice features and ocean topography. Launched in June 1978 and operated until October 1978. |
| 51 | Space Transport System (STS) | Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) | Radar (Active Sensor) |
LP DAAC |
High-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) topographic data. |
| 52 | Space Laboratory Series (STS-45) First Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-1) | Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SSBUV) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC |
The First Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science. ATLAS 1 flew aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-45 in spring 1992. It was the first of up to nine ATLAS missions that were undertaken throughout one solar cycle, which lasted 11 years. |
| 53 | Space Laboratory Series (STS-56) Second Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-2) | Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SSBUV) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC |
The purpose of the SBUV instrument is to measure the Solar irradiance and Earth radiance in the near ultraviolet spectrum. |
| 54 | Space Laboratory Series (STS-66) Third Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-3) | Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SSBUV) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC |
The Third Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science. ATLAS 3 focused on atmospheric and solar physics and consisted of the same experiments as in ATLAS-2 with the addition of two co-manifested experiments. |
| 55 |
Television Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS) |
TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) | Sounder (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
An atmospheric sounding system (TOVS - TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder) to provide vertical profiles of temperature and water vapor from the Earth's surface to the top of the atmosphere; and a solar proton monitor to detect the arrival of energetic particles for use in solar storm prediction. |
| 56 | TOPEX/ Poseidon | TOPEX Microwave Radiometer (TMR) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | PO.DAAC |
TMR is a 3-frequency radiometer flown on the TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) satellite in low-Earth orbit. It operates at 18, 21, and 37 GHz in a nadir only viewing direction which is co-aligned with the T/P radar altimeters. TMR monitors and corrects for the propagation path delay of the altimeter radarsignal due to water vapor and non-precipitating liquid water in the atmosphere. |
| 57 | TOPEX/ Poseidon | Dual-Frequency Altimeter (ALT-A, B) |
Radar Altimeter (Active Sensor) |
PO.DAAC |
Objectives were to measure the satellite-to-sea-surface height, wave height, provide ionospheric corrections, and measure wind speed directly beneath the spacecraft. Mission ended in January 2006. |
| 58 | TOPEX/ Poseidon | Single-Frequency Poseidon Altimeter (SSALT) | Altimeter (Active Sensor) |
PO.DAAC |
Monitored global ocean circulation, improved global climate predictions, and tracked El Niño conditions and ocean eddies. Mission ended in January 2006. |
| 59 | Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer-Earth Probe (TOMS-EP) | Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer, launched in July 1996 aboard an Earth Probe Satellite (TOMS/EP), continues NASA's long-term daily mapping of the global distribution of the Earth's atmospheric O3. In addition to O3, TOMS measures SO2 released in volcanic eruptions. |
| 60 | Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) |
Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) |
Broadband Scanning Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
ASDC |
Has four to six channels (shortwave, longwave, total). Measures atmospheric and surface energy fluxes. Provides 20 km resolution at nadir. |
| 61 |
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) |
Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) | Imager (Passive Sensor) | GHRC DAAC |
Detects intra-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning, day and night. |
| 62 |
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) |
TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) | Multispectral Microwave Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC, GHRC DAAC |
TMI measures the intensity of radiation at five separate frequencies: 10.7, 19.4, 21.3, 37, 85.5 GHz. TMI measures microwave brightness temperatures, water vapor, cloud water, and rainfall intensity. |
| 63 |
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) |
Precipitation Radar (PR) | Phased-Array Radar (Active Sensor) | GES DISC |
Measures 3-D distribution of rain and ice. Provides horizontal resolution of 250 m and vertical resolution of 5 km. |
| 64 |
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) |
Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS) | Radiometer (Passive Sensor) |
GES DISC |
VIRS is one of the three instruments in the rain-measuring package and serves as a very indirect indicator of rainfall. It also ties in TRMM measurements with other measurements that are made routinely using the meteorological Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites POES) and those that are made using the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) operated by the United States. |
| 65 | Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) | Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor (ACRIM) | Total Power Radiometer (Passive Sensor) | ASDC |
Measures total solar irradiance. It has a wide range of potential applications. In metrology, for example, total power radiometers are used for primary-level microwave noise measurements. Standard, ambient, and unknown noise sources are connected to the radiometer input, and the respective output powers are measured. |
| 66 | Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) | Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
UARS measured O3 and chemical compounds found in the O3 layer which affect O3 chemistry and processes. UARS also measured winds and temperatures in the stratosphere as well as the energy input from the Sun. Together, these help define the role of the upper atmosphere in climateand climate variability. |
| 67 | Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) | Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) | Solar Occultation (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
Aimed at better understanding the coupled chemistry, dynamics, and energetics of theEarth's middle and upper atmosphere, HALOE was selected to fly on UARS supported by the NASA Mission to Planet Earth program. HALOE is a collaboration among the Langley Research Center; Max Planck Institute for Chemistry; University of Chicago; University of Michigan; University of California, Irvine; NOAA/Environmental Research Laboratory; and Imperial College, U.K. |
| 68 | Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) | Improved Stratospheric and Mesospheric Sounder (ISAMS) | Sounder (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
ISAMS is a limb-sounding radiometer which uses a combination of pressure modulated and wide-band infrared channels to measure CO, Water Vapor, NO2, HNO3, O3, NO, Nitrous Oxide (N2O), CH4, Dinitrogen Pentoxide (N2O5), Aerosol, and Temperature in the middle atmosphere. |
| 69 | Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) | Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) | Sounder (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
The Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) experiments obtain measurements of atmospheric composition, temperature, and pressure by observations of millimeter- and submillimeter-wavelength thermal emission as then instrument field of view is scanned through the atmospheric limb. |
| 70 | Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) | Particle Environment Monitor (PEM) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
The overall objective of the particle environment monitor (PEM) is to provide comprehensive measurements of both local and global energy inputs into the Earth's atmosphere by charged particles and Joule dissipation using a carefully integrated set of instruments. |
| 71 | Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) | Solar-Stellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment (SOLSTICE) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
Solar radiation below 300nm is completely absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere and becomes the dominant direct energy input. This energy establishes the composition, temperature and dynamics. Even small changes have an important impact on atmospheric processes and trends. Therefore SOLSTICE’s goals were to make daily measurements of the solar ultraviolet irradiance (120nm–420nm with λ / Δλ ≈ 1000), the measurement should have an absolute accuracy better than ±5%, and the measurement should have a relative accuracy better than 1%, and measure solar variations on all timescales. |
| 72 | Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) | Solar Ultraviolet Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SUSIM) | Spectrometer (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
The Solar Ultraviolet Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SUSIM) is a dual dispersion spectrometer instrument which measures from near-Earth orbit the absolute irradiance of the sun in the ultraviolet (UV) wavelength range of 115 nm to 410 nm. |
| 73 | Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) | High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI) | Imager (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
Passive spectrometer that measures doppler shifts of spectral lines to get wind speeds. |
| 74 |
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) |
Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) | Interferometer (Passive Sensor) | GES DISC |
WINDII measures wind, temperature, and emission rate over the altitude range 80 to 300 km by using the visible region airglow emission from these altitudes as a target and employing optical Doppler interferometry to measure the small wavelength shifts of the narrow atomic and molecular airglow emission lines induced by the bulk velocity of the atmosphere carrying the emitting species. |
Page Last Updated: Oct 16, 2020 at 2:18 PM EDT