Nimbus-7 SMMR Polar Gridded Radiances and Sea Ice Concentrations

Data Contributors

GLOERSEN, PER
CAVALIERI, DONALD

Parameters

BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE
ICE EXTENT
SEA ICE CONCENTRATION

Instruments

RADIOMETERS
SMMR : SCANNING MULTICHANNEL MICROWAVE RADIOMETER

NSIDC produces gridded brightness temperatures (TBs) on polar stereographic grids for north and south polar regions from orbital (swath) data collected by the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) flown aboard the Nimbus-7 satellite. This data set contains gridded brightness temperatures (TB) and sea ice concentrations, spanning October 1978 through August 1987, when the SMMR scanner was turned off. Brightness temperature and sea ice concentration grids have 25 x 25 km grid elements. The data were collected every other day at 6.60, 10.69, 18.00, 21.00 and 37.00 GHz. (The scanner operated only on alternate days, due to spacecraft power limitations).

There are usually at least 14 days of coverage per month, although major data gaps occur in 1982, August 4th, 8th, and 16th are missing for both polar regions; in 1984, August 13th through the 23rd are missing for both polar regions. Volume 7 contains all SMMR sea ice concentrations for both polar regions, plus five months of TB grids for the north polar region.

The NASA Team Algorithm (Cavalieri et al. 1984, Gloersen and Cavalieri 1986) was used to calculate ice concentrations from the TBs. Data were produced by Dr. P. Gloersen, NASA/GSFC, Oceans and Ice Branch. Users note: SMMR TCT tapes comprised the input data set, unlike the one-volume SMMR CD-ROM product distributed by NSIDC in 1979.

An online guide available for this data set. CD-ROM distribution currently at no charge, first priority to NASA and NASA-funded investigators.

Data Citation

Gloerson, P., D. Cavalieri, W.J. Campbell, and J. Zwally. 1990. Nimbus-7 SMMR polar radiances and Arctic and Antarctic sea ice concentrations. Boulder, CO: National Snow and Ice Data Center. CD-ROM.