|
||||||
|
|
||||||
The AMSR-E sensor aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured images of Hurricane Ivan as it tracked northwest across the Gulf of Mexico. AMSR-E is a passive microwave sensor that is well-suited for studying rainfall, ocean, soil moisture, and polar sea ice. The images below were derived from Level-2B swath rainfall and ocean data, available from NSIDC.
The rainfall product provides instantaneous measurements of rain rate and rain type (convective vs. stratiform), generated from Level-2A brightess temperatures (AE_L2A). The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Profiling algorithm determines rain rate and rain type over ocean areas, and a Modified GSFC Profiling algorithm over land.
Near-surface wind speed is also derived from Level-2A brightness temperatures, and is a function of upwind and crosswind slope variance of the ocean surface. Microwave Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and wind speed measurements become unreliable in rain. Users should examine the quality flags contained in the product and discard SST or wind speed data if necessary to avoid rain contamination.
The AMSR-E rainfall and ocean products are not meant for real time, operational analysis, or forecasting.
Rain Rate Source: AE_Rain |
||
 |
 15 September 2004 |
 14 September 2004 |
Wind Speed Over Ocean Source: AE_Ocean |
||
 |
 15 September 2004 |
 14 September 2004 |
|
|
|
|||||
