Radio Frequency Earth Science

Home , Aura (satellite), Microwave limb sounder, Scatterometer

Overview for

Committee On Radio Frequency (CORF)

National Academy of Science – National Research Council

April 27, 2005

[email protected] Program Executive for Ground Networks Science Mission Directorate Science Mission Directorate (SMD)

2 SMD Missions in Formulation

3 SMD Missions In Implementation

4 SMD Missions In Operation

5 JASON-1

Jason-1Jason-1 isis aa jointjoint missionmission betweenbetween FranceFrance andand thethe U.S.U.S. toto monitormonitor globalglobal oceanocean circulation,circulation, toto improveimprove globalglobal climateclimate predictions,predictions, andand toto monitor monitor eventsevents suchsuch asas ElEl NiñoNiño SouthernSouthern OscOscillationillation conditionsconditions andand oceanocean eddies.eddies. Applications:Applications: coastalcoastal zonezone management,management, disasterdisaster management.management.

LAUNCH: • Date: December 7, 2001 ORBIT: • Altitude: 1,336 km • Inclination: 66 degrees • Period: 122.4 minutes • Repeat Cycle: 10 days • Non-Sun-Synchronous DESIGN LIFE: • 5 years INSTRUMENTS: • Laser retroreflector array • TOPEX radar altimeter 13.6 and 5.3 GHz • Poseidon-2 radar altimeter 13.65 GHz • DORIS (Doppler Orbitography and MEASUREMENTS: Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite) receiver •Brightness temperature • Jason Microwave Radiometer •Water vapor content • Turbo Rogue Space Receiver GPS •Liquid water content tracking system •Ocean topography

http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/jason-1.html 6 Tsunami - Jason data

7 Aura

AuraAura hostshosts aa suitesuite ofof scientificscientific instrumentsinstruments designeddesigned toto makemake thethe mostmost comprehensivecomprehensive measurementsmeasurements ofof atmosphericatmospheric tracetrace gasesgases everever undertaken.undertaken. TheThe missionmission measuresmeasures ozone,ozone, aerosols,aerosols, andand severalseveral keykey atmosphericatmospheric constituentsconstituents thatthat playplay anan importantimportant rolerole inin atmosphericatmospheric chemistry,chemistry, airair quality,quality, andand climate.climate. TheThe UnitedUnited KingdomKingdom andand TheThe NetherlandsNetherlands areare providing providing somesome ofof thethe instrumentsinstruments forfor thisthis mission.mission. Applications: Applications: airair qualityquality management,management, carboncarbon management,management, energyenergy forecasting,forecasting, publicpublic health.health. LAUNCH: MEASUREMENTS: • Date: Summer, 2004 • Molecular species distribution ORBIT: • Aerosol index, ozone content, reflectivity, • Altitude: 705 km erythemal UV exposure, surface radiance • Inclination: 98.2 degrees • Temperature and the locations of polar • Period: 100 minutes stratospheric clouds and cloud tops • Repeat Cycle: 16 days • Sun-Synchronous, Polar DESIGN LIFE: • 3 years INSTRUMENTS: • OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) • MLS (Microwave Limb Sounder) 118 GHz Primarily for temperature and pressure

190 GHz Primarily for H2O, HNO3, 240 GHz Primarily for O3 and CO 640 GHz Primarily for N2O, HCl, ClO, HOCl, BrO, HO2, and SO2 2.5 THz Primarily for OH • TES (Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer) • HIRDLS (High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder)

http://eos-chem.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 8 CloudSat

CloudSAT,CloudSAT, aa cooperativecooperative missionmission withwith CaCanada,nada, willwill useuse advancedadvanced radarradar toto "slice""slice" throughthrough cloudsclouds toto seesee theirtheir vertiverticalcal structure,structure, providingproviding aa completelycompletely newnew observationalobservational capabilitycapability fromfrom space.space. CloudSATCloudSAT will will looklook atat thethe structure,structure, composition,composition, andand effectseffects ofof cloudsclouds andand willwill bebe oneone ofof thethe firstfirst satellitessatellites toto studystudy cloudsclouds onon aa globalglobal basis.basis. AppApplications:lications: airair qualityquality management,management, aviationaviation safety,safety, disasterdisaster management,management, energyenergy forecasting,forecasting, waterwater managementmanagement andand conservation.conservation.

LAUNCH: • Date: 2005 ORBIT: • Altitude: 705 km • Inclination: 98.2 degrees • Period: 99 minutes • Sun-Synchronous DESIGN LIFE: • 2 years INSTRUMENTS: • CPR (Cloud Profiling Radar- 94 GHz ) MEASUREMENTS: • Cloud properties

http://cloudsat.atmos.colostate.edu/ 9 NPOESS - National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System TheThe NationalNational Polar-orbitingPolar-orbiting OperationalOperational EnviEnvironmentalronmental SatelliteSatellite SystemSystem (NPOESS)(NPOESS) willwill provideprovide thethe U.S.U.S. withwith anan enduringenduring capabilitycapability toto measuremeasure atmospheriatmospheric,c, land,land, andand oceanicoceanic environmentalenvironmental parametersparameters globally.globally. TheThe systemsystem willwill provideprovide timelytimely andand accurateaccurate weatherweather andand environmentalenvironmental datadata toto weatherweather forecasters,forecasters, militarymilitary commanders,commanders, civiliancivilian leaders,leaders, andand thethe scientificscientific community.community. TheThe cucurrentrrent planplan isis forfor thethe NPOESSNPOESS constellationconstellation toto consistconsist ofof threethree polar-orbpolar-orbitingiting satellites.satellites. EachEach satellitesatellite willwill bebe designeddesigned forfor aa 7-year7-year lifetimelifetime andand willwill hosthost 1010 toto 1212 sensorsensor payloads.payloads. Applications:Applications: agriculturalagricultural competitiveness,competitiveness, airair qualityquality management,management, disasterdisaster management,management, energyenergy forecasting,forecasting, homelandhomeland security,security, publicpublic health,health, wawaterter managementmanagement andand conservation.conservation. LAUNCH: MEASUREMENTS: • Date: September 1, 2010 • Atmospheric temperature and water vapor profiles ORBIT: • Electron density and ionospheric profiles • Altitude: 833 km • Vertical and horizontal distribution of ozone • Inclination: 98.75 degrees • Total solar irradiance and solar spectral irradiance • Period: 101 minutes • Earth radiation budget, land/water and sea • Sun-Synchronous surface temperature, ocean color, and low light DESIGN LIFE: imagery • 5 years • Characteristics of auroral boundary INSTRUMENTS: • VIIRS (Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite) • CMIS (Conical Microwave Imager/Sounder 6.6, 18.7, 36.5, 60.4 GHz ) • CrIS (Crosstrack Infrared Sounder) • GPSOS (Global Positioning System Occultation Sensor) • OMPS (Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite) • SESS (Space Environment Sensor Suite) http://www.ipo.noaa.gov/index2.html 10 Aquarius AquariusAquarius isis aa focusedfocused satellitesatellite missionmission toto measuremeasure globalglobal seasea surfacesurface salinitysalinity (SSS).(SSS). AquariusAquarius willwill resolveresolve missingmissing physicalphysical processesprocesses thatthat linklink thethe waterwater cycle,cycle, thethe climate,climate, andand thethe ocean.ocean. ThThee AquariusAquarius sciencescience goalsgoals areare toto observeobserve andand modelmodel thethe processesprocesses thatthat relaterelate salinitysalinity variationsvariations toto climaticclimatic changeschanges inin thethe globalglobal cyclingcycling ofof waterwater andand toto understandunderstand howhow thesethese variationsvariations influenceinfluence thethe generalgeneral oceanocean circulation.circulation. OneOne applapplicationication ofof thethe AquariusAquarius missionmission datadata willwill bebe toto benefitbenefit coastalcoastal zonezone management.management. LAUNCH: • Date: 2008 ORBIT: • Altitude: 600 km • Repeat Cycle: 8 days • Sun-Synchronous • DESIGN LIFE: • 3 years INSTRUMENTS: • Radiometer/Scatterometer Radiometers at 1.413 GHz Scatterometer at 1.26 GHz MEASUREMENTS: • Seawater emissivity sensitive to salinity http://essp.gsfc.nasa.gov/aquarius/ 11 GPM – Global Precipitation Mapper GPMGPM isis aa jointjoint missionmission withwith thethe NationalNational SpaceSpace DevelopmentDevelopment AgencyAgency (NASDA)(NASDA) ofof JapanJapan andand otherother internationalinternational partners.partners. BuildBuildinging uponupon thethe successsuccess ofof thethe TropicalTropical RainfallRainfall MeasuringMeasuring MissionMission (TRMM),(TRMM), GPMGPM willwill initiateinitiate globalglobal precipiprecipitationtation measurement, measurement, aa keykey climateclimate factor.factor. ItsIts sciencescience objectivesobjectives areare toto improveimprove ongoingongoing effortsefforts toto predictpredict climateclimate byby providingproviding near-globalnear-global measurementmeasurement ofof prprecipitation,ecipitation, itsits distridistribution,bution, andand physicalphysical processes;processes; toto improveimprove thethe accuracyaccuracy ofof wweathereather andand precipitationprecipitation forecastsforecasts throughthrough moremore accurateaccurate measurementmeasurement ofof rainrain ratesrates andand latentlatent heating;heating; andand toto provideprovide moremore frequentfrequent andand completecomplete samplingsampling ofof thethe EarthEarth's's precipitation.precipitation. Applications:Applications: agriculturalagricultural competitiveness,competitiveness, disasterdisaster management,management, waterwater managementmanagement andand conservation.conservation.

MEASUREMENTS: INSTRUMENTS: • Cloud structure and • DPR (Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar) precipitation characteristics KuPR 13.597 & 13.603 GHz including rain rate, cloud type, KaPR 35.547 & 35.553 GHz 3D cloud structure, and drop- • GMI (GPM Microwave Imager) size distribution Ch # Center Freq (GHz) Pass-band Bandwidth • Global precipitation 1 10.65 100 2 10.65 100 LAUNCH: 3 18.7 200 •Date: November 2007 4 18.7 200 ORBIT: 5 23.80 200 •Altitude: 400 km 6 36.5 1000 •Inclination: 65 degrees 7 36.5 1000 •Sun-Synchronous 8 89.0 4000 DESIGN LIFE: 9 89.0 4000 •3 years (150 or 166 GHz and 183 GHz are TBD high frequency channel enhancement options) • Constellation of passive microwave radiometers http://gpm.gsfc.nasa.gov 12 Hydros - The Hydrosphere State Mission HyrdrosHyrdros is is expectedexpected toto provideprovide thethe firstfirst globalglobal viewview ofof thethe Earth’sEarth’s changingchanging soilsoil moisturemoisture andand landland surfacesurface freezefreeze/thaw/thaw state.state. ItIt willwill conductconduct hydroclimatologyhydroclimatology of of thethe soilsoil moisturemoisture atat 4040 km,km, hydrometerologyhydrometerology of of thethe soilsoil moisturemoisture atat 1010 km,km, andand observeobserve freeze/thawfreeze/thaw conditionsconditions atat 3km3km duringduring aa 22 yearyear mission.mission. ScienceScience appilcationsappilcations from from HydrosHydros includeinclude anan enhancedenhanced understandingunderstanding ofof processesprocesses thatthat linklink water,water, energy,energy, andand carboncarbon cycle,cycle, andand improvedimproved weatherweather andand climateclimate prediction.prediction. LAUNCH: • Date: 2007 ORBIT: • 6AM/6PM sun-synchronous orbit at km, for a 2 year mission • Altitude: 670 km DESIGN LIFE: • 2 years INSTRUMENTS: • L-band radar 1.24 GHZ and radiometer 1.41 GHz using one deployable antenna; • Radiometer from GSFC • Radar from ASI (Italian) • Antenna from CSA Radiation Limiting The land hydrosphere state (soil MEASUREMENTS: moisture and surface freeze/thaw) • Hydroclimatology of the soil moisture at exerts the primary control on land- 40 km Soil Freeze/ atmosphere exchanges of water, Moisture Thaw energy, and carbon over most of • Hydrometerology of the soil moisture at Limiting Limiting the continents. 10 km • Observe freeze/thaw conditions at 3km http://essp.gsfc.nasa.gov/oco/ 13 Integrated Observations