DMSP SSM/I-SSMIS Daily Polar Gridded Brightness Temperatures, Version 5
Data set id:
NSIDC-0001
DOI: 10.5067/QU2UYQ6T0B3P
There is a more recent version of these data.
Version Summary

  • Updated version to reflect the beginning of the F18 data record

  • RSS, who process the raw satellite measurements into brightness temperature estimates, changed their processing algorithms from version V7 to V8

Overview

This data set provides daily gridded brightness temperatures derived from passive microwave sensors and distributed in a polar stereographic projection. NSIDC produces daily gridded brightness temperatures from orbital swath data generated by the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) aboard the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F8, F11, and F13 platforms and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) aboard DMSP F17 and F18. The SSM/I and SSMIS channels used to calculate brightness temperatures include 19.3 GHz vertical and horizontal, 22.2 GHz vertical, 37.0 GHz vertical and horizontal, 85.5 GHz vertical and horizontal (on SSM/I), and 91.7 GHz vertical and horizontal (on SSMIS). Data at 85.5 GHz and 91.7 GHz are gridded at a resolution of 12.5 km, with all other frequencies at a resolution of 25 km. Orbital data for each 24-hour period are mapped to respective grid cells using a simple sum-and-average method, also known as the drop-in-the-bucket method.
Parameter(s):
BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE
Platform(s):
DMSP 5D-2/F11, DMSP 5D-2/F13, DMSP 5D-2/F8, DMSP 5D-3/F17, DMSP 5D-3/F18
Sensor(s):
SSM/I, SSMIS
Data Format(s):
Binary
Temporal Coverage:
9 July 1987 to 1 January 2021
Temporal Resolution:
  • 1 day
Spatial Resolution:
  • 25 km
  • 12.5 km
  • 25 km
  • 12.5 km
Spatial Reference System(s):
WGS 84 / Antarctic Polar Stereographic
EPSG:3031

WGS 84 / Arctic Polar Stereographic
EPSG:3995
Spatial Coverage:
N:
-39
S:
-90
E:
180
W:
-180
N:
90
S:
30
E:
180
W:
-180
Blue outlined yellow areas on the map below indicate the spatial coverage for this data set.

Data Access & Tools

This data set has been retired. There is a more recent version of these data.

Help Articles

How to Articles

Many NSIDC DAAC data sets can be accessed using the NSIDC DAAC's Data Access Tool. This tool provides the ability to search and filter data with spatial and temporal constraints using a map-based interface.Users have the option to
The NSIDC provides Python scripts for reformatting specific NSIDC SMMR-SSM/I-SSMIS data products in polar stereographic projections from NetCDF to binary.
Data from the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC) can be accessed directly from our HTTPS file system. We provide basic command line Wget and curl instructions for HTTPS file system downloads below.